Mr. Marehand:

He knows full well that the Department of the Environment does not have regulatory authority over every department of government. The hon. member knows that. He is a lawyer; I am not. I do not see any reason why the Department of the Environment should have all kinds of regulatory powers. We have a lot of advisory powers.

Oh, oh!

Mr. Marehand:

As long as I am satisfied-

Oh, oh!

Mr. Marehand:

Some members laugh, but I am sure they would not want me, in the Department of the Environment, to be the pollution czar and run every environmental aspect of every government department, including provincial governments.

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March 23, 1979

Oral Questions

Oh, oh!

Mr. Marchand:

Provincial governments have some authority, too. That is why we work together with them. We work together with other departments and with the provincial governments.

Hear, hear!

Mr. Jarvis:

To answer the minister's question, I would feel a lot better knowing that this potential environmental threat was not in the hands of the Minister of Transport. That is one reason.

Hear, hear!

Mr. Jarvis:

If the Minister of State for the Environment is content to play that advisory role, then is his position that the responsibility for the Ocean Dumping Control Act should rest with a ministry other than the Department of the Environment?

Mr. Marchand:

No, I did not say that, Mr. Speaker. There are certain acts of government that we administer directly, one of which, as the hon. member knows, is the Ocean Dumping Control Act. The Environmental Contaminants Act and the Canada Water Act are others. We have some of them; but in certain situations I am sure the hon. member does not want me to have all the authority relating to pollution under the Transport Act.

Mr. Jarvis:

In this situation, I do.

Mr. Marchand:

Mr. Speaker, if it will make the hon. member feel any better, now that the reorganization legislation is going through we in my department are examining all the legislative authority we have. At some point we will bring forward an omnibus bill which will address some of the deficiencies located in some of the legislation we have at our disposal.

I repeat that I do not want to put myself into the position of being a pollution czar, having all regulatory authority in this country to handle every situation. Certainly there must be regulatory authority left with the Department of Transport, the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and other governments. We will have in my department the capacity to make sure that the environmental legislation brought forward through the various departments is adequate and meets the requirements we have as an environment department.

Hear, hear!

Mr. Fred McCain (Carleton-Charlotte):

Mr. Speaker, I should like to direct my question to the minister responsible for

DREE. Over the years, complaints have been lodged by some very responsible people, in and out of the House, respecting the accomplishments and the method of administration of DREE and other developmental programs designed for depressed areas of Canada. I think the remarks this morning of Mr. Daigle, the leader of the Liberal party in New Brunswick, make these objections gilt-edged and the source of criticism now has become impeccable.

Will the minister responsible for DREE advise this House whether he has any intention of changing some of the directions in which DREE has been going ineffectually, and will he now consider the objectives promoted by those who have suggested criticism to him by representation both by way of governmental and independent sources of advice?

Hon. Marcel Lessard (Minister of Regional Economic Expansion):

Mr. Speaker, I know nothing of the criticisms or suggestions Mr. Daigle may have made this morning. Of course, I shall look into them with interest, as I always do into whatever suggestions come to me from both sides of the House, as well as outside groups and the provincial governments with whom I have always co-operated closely.

With regard to the possibility of changing the present policy of the Department of Regional Economic Expansion to reflect those proposals, suggestions and criticisms, I can assure the House that I am always willing to do so; I always consider that possibility and indeed the Department of Regional Economic Expansion has shown through the years that it can adapt to constantly evolving circumstances. I can assure the House that we shall continue to do so in coming years. We will continue to adapt to changing situations because that department must in fact take advantage of opportunities as they come along.

Mr. McCain:

The press report this morning says that Mr. Daigle also said that if present federal policies continue for a few years, New Brunswick will be in the forefront of the national unity debate looking for a way out or a much better deal, in the same manner as Quebec. I think this emphasizes the seriousness with which those who need this deparment and its effectual administration treat it and its present non-political approach.

Will the minister agree to meet with the responsible authorities and interested parties in that area of Canada where DREE may be applied, and particularly in New Brunswick, to set down new guidelines for more productive and effective expenditures of money for the purposes for which it was developed and which are so badly needed?

Mr. Lessard:

Mr. Speaker, I hope one is not going to read the comments of the hon. member as being critical of the provincial government of New Brunswick because, in effect, what DREE has been doing in the last few years is responding to requests, suggestions and proposals by the provincial Con-

March 23, 1979

servative government of New Brunswick. If this gentleman feels this is not proper and what we have done for New Brunswick should not have been done, I think the first one to be blamed would be the provincial government of New Brunswick itself.