Environment and Sustainable Development

The committee met to conduct clause-by-clause consideration of Bill C-241, a private member’s bill that would establish a national strategy for flood and drought forecasting. Two officials from the Department of the Environment appeared: Stephanie Lane, Executive Director of Legislative Governance, and Doris Fortin, Director General of Policy, Planning and Partnerships for the Meteorological Service of Canada.

Stephanie Lane explained that the government’s amendment to clause 3 broadens the required elements of the strategy, replacing a specific reference to modelling that “would identify properties and infrastructure at risk from floods” with language that “would support flood and drought forecasting,” and adding that the strategy must include “measures that the Government of Canada may take” in response to earlier assessments. She argued this provides flexibility to address gaps identified during consultations with provinces, territories, and Indigenous peoples, and noted that the reference to the “National Hydrological Service” was corrected to the “National Hydrometric Program,” which is a federal-provincial monitoring program, not a forecasting service.

Doris Fortin added that the amendment allows the strategy to avoid duplicating existing provincial strengths and to focus on supporting jurisdictions that lack capacity. She confirmed that the National Hydrometric Program monitors water levels and flows but does not issue flood or drought warnings, which remain provincial responsibilities. She disagreed with Conservative members who argued the amendment weakens the bill, stating that broadening the language enables the strategy to address fundamental gaps, such as data interoperability, before building a national forecasting capability.

Conservative members Branden Leslie and David Bexte criticized the amendment for replacing mandatory language with permissive “may” language, arguing it removes any obligation on the minister to act and effectively “neuters” the bill. Leslie pressed officials on whether the amendment would leave Canadians no better off than before, and Bexte questioned the logic of making all strategic recommendations optional. Lane responded that national strategies cannot compel provincial action and that the bill still requires the strategy to be tabled and reported on after five years.

Liberal members Will Greaves and Tim Watchorn supported the amendment, with Greaves asking officials to confirm it allows a more comprehensive strategy, which Lane and Fortin did. Watchorn noted the amendment avoids imposing measures on provinces that already have strong systems, and he opposed a Bloc Québécois amendment to require the strategy to take into account existing provincial flood protection plans, arguing the bill already mandates consultation.

Bloc Québécois member Patrick Bonin expressed concern that adding “may take” makes the preparation of a proposal for a forecasting service optional, and he questioned why the government would not commit to even preparing a proposal. He moved an amendment to require the strategy to consider existing provincial plans to avoid duplication, but after debate, the committee voted on and defeated that amendment.

Liberal member Eric St-Pierre withdrew two of his own minor amendments—one clarifying “business days” and another spelling out “United States of America”—after noting the first was redundant due to the Interpretation Act and the second was a minor stylistic preference. The committee then adopted the government’s main amendment to clause 3, agreed to all remaining clauses without further amendment, and voted to report the bill as amended to the House.