QUESTION PERIOD — Environment and Climate Change
Access to Safe Drinking Water
May 16, 2023
Once again, Madam Speaker, congratulations on your appointment.
My question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. Leader, yesterday and today, La Presse published a series of hard-hitting articles by journalist Tristan Péloquin about the sorry saga of waste management on Kanesatake territory near Oka. Apparently all kinds of toxic substances are being dumped into the environment every day, contaminating waterways and Lake of Two Mountains.
I would remind you, senator, that Lake of Two Mountains and its outflows, Rivière des Mille Îles and Rivière des Prairies, supply drinking water to downstream communities, including Pointe-Calumet, Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, Deux-Montagnes, Saint-Eustache, Boisbriand, Blainville, Rosemère, Terrebonne, Laval, part of Montreal and many others on the north shore.
Leader, I asked you specific questions about this serious environmental issue twice, on June 17, 2020, and on October 1, 2020. I also asked Minister Miller questions last September 22. Your government’s answers were evasive, and as far as I can tell, nothing has been done.
Leader, it seems nothing is being done as it should be in this never-ending saga.
As the Leader of the Government in the Senate, can you explain to us why your government has been so painfully slow to take action on an issue that is of such vital importance to the health of people in the area and to environmental protection?
Thank you for the question.
With all due respect, the government is not dragging its feet. The government recognizes that this is a very serious situation. I’ll continue to make representations to the government to ensure that the right steps are taken for the well-being of the citizens in the area and for the environment.
Will your government, once and for all, address this tragedy? What is the timetable for restoring the environmental heritage of this site, which is currently an open, infected wound and considered by many to be an environmental bomb?
Thank you for your question. I will ensure that your concerns, which are entirely valid and legitimate, are brought to the attention of the ministers responsible.
