The witnesses made statements and answered questions.

At 12:52 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 12:59 p.m., the sitting resumed in camera.

It was agreed, — That the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, recommends that the Government of Canada, and specifically, the President of the Treasury Board, review the work of the Canadian Audit and Accountability and take steps to provide adequate and stable funding for the capacity-building program as part of legislative oversight bodies.

It was agreed, — That the committee proceed to sit in public.

At 1:16 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 1:20 p.m., the sitting resumed in public.

Brenda Shanahan moved, —

Whereas, the Alberta Energy Regulator failed to contain a tailing pond seepage while waiting 7 months for a geochemistry study to be completed.

Whereas, the Alberta Energy Regulator previously claimed that there was no contaminants found in the waterways when in fact Imperial staff told ACFN inspectors that dissolved iron was found in waterbody 3, and on April 3, 2023 that a test showed F2 hydrocarbons and naphthenic acids in waterbody.

That the committee express its disappointment with the Alberta Energy Regulator and acknowledge that the Alberta Energy Regulator has been deficient in protecting the environment and health of communities adjacent to tailing ponds that it regulates.

That, in relation to the Follow-up Study on Report 3, Access to Safe Drinking Water in First Nations Communities – Indigenous Services Canada, of the 2021 Reports 1 to 5 of the Auditor General of Canada, and following the evidence provided by witnesses at the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development regarding the toxic leak of tailing ponds and ongoing deficiencies in protecting the health and safety of Indigenous communities at risk, the committee:

1. Call on the Alberta Energy Regulator and the Government of Alberta work with companies that operate tailing ponds and the federal government to conduct a study to assess the impacts of tailing ponds on human health;

2. Call on the Alberta Energy Regulator to require operators of tailing ponds to increase monitoring of adjacent drinking water sources;

3. Call on the Alberta Energy Regulator to conduct a geotechnical audit of all tailings limits;

4. Call on the Alberta Energy Regulator to require operators of tailing ponds to halt the release of tailings into waterways; and

The Chair ruled the motion inadmissible because it was beyond the committee’s mandate, as provided on page 1065 of House of Commons Procedure and Practice, Third Edition.

Where upon, Iqra Khalid appealed of the decision of the Chair.

The question: “Shall the decision of the Chair be sustained?” was put and the decision was overturned, by the following recorded division: YEAS: 3; NAYS: 7.

Debate arose thereon.