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?

Hon. David M. Wells (Acting Deputy Leader of the Opposition): My question is for the government leader. As you know, government leader, the Bay du Nord offshore oil project is vital to the economy and future of Newfoundland and Labrador. However, we have yet to hear whether this project will move forward despite the March 6 deadline, which has since passed.

The government extended this decision point by 40 days despite the Impact Assessment Agency recommending approval.

This week, the federal Liberals have agreed to prioritize specific policy issues backed by the New Democrats in exchange for their support to keep the government in power until 2025.

Senator Gold, in light of this new NDP-Liberal partnership government and the fact that the NDP is against the project, could you tell us, please, what is the fate of the Bay du Nord project?