Natural Resources committee  I think it's vital to have legislation come in that will enable a sustainable, renewable energy transition, certainly. It's also vital to have good laws in place that allow for meaningful protection of marine environments. I would just say that. I think I've made it clear in my comments already tonight that we support the government bringing in a bill that's going to open doors to renewable energy development in the marine spaces in Atlantic Canada.

Natural Resources committee  If you're speaking about the Inceptio licence that was set aside in the autumn, those set-aside powers exist already under the accord acts as they stand now. They certainly are important powers, but they're not powers that exist specifically to deal with marine conservation and protection issues.

Natural Resources committee  If it has to be brief, I can say only that it is a question requiring a few seconds to answer. I might ask if somebody agreeable to hearing a more fulsome answer might rephrase or reform the question, because I don't think I could answer that quickly. I'd just say that we support the bill in principle, but we actually think better assessment processes need to be built into it to address some of the issues that witnesses like Ms.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you for that question. What I would say in response—and I think this picks up on a comment Ms. Brady was making a few moments ago—is that there is a need for consistent high-level assessment and project-specific assessment. There should be thorough assessment at the high level to take into account not only necessary assessments, such as the assessment of cumulative effects, which is more easily, efficiently and meaningfully done at the high level.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. My organization, East Coast Environmental Law, engages in federal and provincial law reform advocacy on issues that affect environmental health and sustainable development in Atlantic Canada. We recognize the urgent need for a global transition from fossil fuels to sources of clean and renewable energy, and we know that we need good law in place to facilitate the transition and improve our ability to steward the environment we depend on as we undertake this Herculean task.