Kevin O'Reilly

That is great to hear about improvements in two of the many communities that the fibre optic line passes by or through. In addition to the examples I cited, though, we have the Premier on November 23, 2016, talking to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology, "We are connecting all of our communities up and down the Mackenzie Valley." Given that the promise was to have service in the communities, what steps will the Minister take now to deliver on the promise and literally go the extra mile to ensure that the improvements and Internet service actually happen?

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Yes, I guess I had hoped to hear from the Minister on whether this was going to work or not, but we're not going to hear that until we get to a vote. Is that the procedure here?

Merci, Monsieur le President. The fibre optic line now runs from Alberta to Inuvik, a project completed in 2017 that will cost about $95 million and $3 million a year to operate. That fibre link was funded on the understanding of big community benefits down the Mackenzie Valley. Let's go back and look at the record. As early as 2011, the then-Minister of Health was promoting "a very ambitious plan that would provide a fibre optic link to all the communities. There would be cell phones, Internet, TV, all those systems in the community."

When the budget proposal was reviewed in 2015, the Finance...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I move that clause 6 of Bill 37 be amended in proposed subclause 20.1(1) by striking out "in accordance with any applicable regulations" and substituting "including: (a) a list of all licences and authorizations issued under section 10 during the fiscal year, including the recipient of the licence or authorization; (b) a list of all declarations made under section 15 during that fiscal year; (c) a list of all certificates received under section 16 during that fiscal year; (d) a list of the information be made available to the public by the Regulator under section 22 during...

Yes, thanks, Mr. Chair. Yes, so what I will say is that this bill does not deliver on the made-in-the-North approach in terms of providing certainty and clarity as to a requirement for the regulator to develop that list. It may happen. That's great, but there is no requirement in the bill for that to happen, so I don't think we have delivered on the promise. Thanks, Mr. Chair, and that is all I have for this clause. Thank you.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I am glad that the Minister came well-prepared for the Committee of the Whole review of the bill. I was not suggesting in any way that the list or criteria needs to be set out in the bill itself, but there should at least be a floor in here that says that the regulator "shall" prepare such a list, but the Minister was not able to concur with that. I am just wondering if he can explain why. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. So, like I asked yesterday and I think I heard in the Minister's opening remarks, there do not seem to be any regulations that are required for this bill to be brought into force, but can I have some explanation of when that is going to happen and what the schedule might look like? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I appreciate that commitment, and I know that everybody is working flat out on this. I appreciate that it is going to create extra work for the departmental staff, but I think that it will help close the accountability loop, so I want to thank the Minister for that.

Mr. Chair, I do have some additional points that I will raise on some of the clauses as we move through the bill, but that's it for now. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Can I get a commitment, then, out of the Minister to provide that information in the next few days, or maybe even tomorrow? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. First off, I guess I would like to clear the record. Yesterday I said that there were no submissions from the oil and gas industry with regard to the development of these bills, and when I went back and checked, there indeed was a letter from the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers dated May 3, 2018. It was sent to the department in terms of development of these bills. It is 13 pages long, and I can confidently say that all of their concerns were addressed and have been incorporated into the bill, which is good news, but the standing committee did not receive any...