Thank you. Mr. O'Reilly.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I understand that this is going to be dealt with by regulation, what a notice of intended work is going to look like, but we are talking about a requirement that it actually be disclosed on a public registry after the Minister negotiates some kind of an arrangement through a regulation to protect business interests. This is about encouraging good working relationships, good neighbours, and avoiding land use conflicts. I am trying to understand what the problem is in saying that that should be part of the public registry now. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is a bit of a red herring, as most observations, example of TerraX, who have acquired a vast majority of mineral interests surrounding where they are doing business. In this particular instance, there may not be a concern related to intellectual property. If certain companies wish to do so, that is their prerogative, and we encourage it. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. Mr. O'Reilly.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I have yet to hear any good reason why this cannot be included now. The Minister has the authority to develop regulations that define what this notice of intended work is going to look like, and the Minister is required in the act to keep information confidential that could be detrimental to business. I just have heard no good reason why this cannot be put on the public registry. I understand that there may be another Member who would like to speak to it. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. To clause 7. Mr. Testart.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am keenly interested in some of the rationale that we have heard from the Minister. I would just like to pursue that further. Does the Minister agree that there are sufficient protections included in the act to allow the Minister of the day or the government to prevent the disclosure of information that would be harmful to business interests in the public registry? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Some of the concerns that we have around this is what and where activities are happening on a claim and what could potentially come about from that activity. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. Mr. Testart.

Thank you. I would appreciate if the Minister could answer my question. Is it the position of the government that the Minister has adequate ability to protect the confidential business interests of industry from being posted in the public registry? Thank you.

Thank you. Ms. Strand.

Thank you. Mr. Testart.

Thank you. I have reviewed the clause that allows the Minister to provident unintended disclosure in the public registry, and I am satisfied that it has broad powers for the Minister to prevent disclosure of information that would be harmful to business interests. I hear what the witnesses are saying, but I also heard them talk about inherent rights. Could the witnesses walk us through how a disclosure of intended work would impinge on the inherent rights of Indigenous peoples? Thank you.

Thank you. Ms. Faryna.

Sure. I just want to make sure that everyone checks their light in front of them before they begin speaking. Sometimes it takes a second to change the microphones. Mr. Testart.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. When questions were being put to the Minister by the honourable Member for Frame Lake, one of the responses was that the reason that the government has declined to include intended work in the public registry is concern, A, around confidentiality, which we have discussed, and B, that it would somehow impact or limit or infringe upon the inherent rights of Indigenous persons. I would like the government to walk me through that about how, and I will be very precise here, including a provision that intended work would be provided in the public registry infringes on section 35 rights. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. Minister.

Thank you. Mr. Testart.

Thank you for that clarification. How is including a provision on the public registry for a notice of intended work related to providing direct notice to Indigenous governments and organizations? I am fine with that. I think that that is a pretty good choice. It is a separate issue. That is not the public registry; that is direct notice, which is another provision governed by the act. How does that matter impact at all with what is being raised here today? We already know that confidentiality issues around business interests can be protected by the Minister by preventing that disclosure on the public registry. That's a section of the act. That's another section that the Minister just quoted.

Let's get back to the real issue here. Why can't this be done in this section? If we could have a very clear answer that is not related to other parts of the bill. Thank you.