Senator Wells: Senator Gold, you will know that the Impact Assessment Agency has said there would be no deleterious environmental effects.

I’m going to supplement it with a follow-up. Does the government recognize that every delay in the legislative process for environmental assessment sends a negative signal to the business community and to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians that the process is not based on science but on Ottawa politics?

Senator Gold: Thank you for the question. No, that is not the view of the government with regard to its responsibilities, which it takes seriously with regard to reviewing the environmental impact of legislation. Both the federal and provincial governments have important roles to play, and both, I am assured, are doing so diligently and responsibly.

[Translation]