Minister, your inaction on this file has sown division in my riding, even among first nations. It's led to tremendous economic losses for ranchers and business owners. Lodge owners, tourism operators and ranchers can't even get approval to access the roadways to their own operations. These businesses are now worth nothing.
Let me read from a recent letter between one first nation in my riding and a long-standing lodge owner whose business was once valued in the millions of dollars. The letter says, “ We have an appraisal which provides us with a framework in which to develop a reasonable offer. What that appraisal tells us is that because you do not have legal access to your property, the commercial value of your land interest and business is zero.”
Minister, does this sound like good-faith negotiations to you?