Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Members of the committee, good evening, bonsoir. It's a pleasure and an honour to be here today to mark another significant step in the process to designate Sable Island as Canada's 43rd national park reserve.
As you are aware, on October 17, 2011 Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter, along with Peter Kent, the minister responsible for Parks Canada, signed a landmark agreement to make Sable Island a national park reserve. I too signed that agreement as a witness that day.
That historic memorandum has helped secure a future of greater protection for this unique island. This agreement holds significance for all Canadians, for Nova Scotians and members of my constituency. I shouldn't say “my constituency”. The Honourable Megan Leslie is here too. It's our constituency. We all have it. We're very possessive about it.
In particular it's especially meaningful to members of our constituency. It commits Canada and the Province of Nova Scotia to protecting Sable Island for the benefit and enjoyment of everyone both now and for future generations. It is about conservation and stewardship.
This legislation will put into law significant benefits for Sable Island, its habitat and the unique flora and fauna living there. That is the reason I am here today endorsing this bill on behalf of the Government of Nova Scotia. This bill protects Sable Island under the National Parks Act, the strongest federal conservation legislation available.
It will legislate for the first time a ban on exploratory and extractive drilling for petroleum resources from the surface of Sable Island. This will install a judicial buffer around Sable Island that prohibits drilling from its low-water boundary out to one nautical mile. This bill will put in place a legislative requirement for the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board to consult with Parks Canada should it want to issue a permit for activity on Sable Island.
The bill will also protect the asserted aboriginal rights and title by the Mi'kmaq of Nova Scotia by designating it as a national park reserve.
Sable Island holds a special place in the hearts of Nova Scotians and Canadians across the country. In our constituency in particular people have long voiced their fondness for Sable Island and have come out in support of the legislation to make the island a national park.
Mr. Chair, I can wax lyrical about Sable Island. All of you have heard presentations from Canadians, but I'm not going to do that. With that, I'm going to cut out pages 5 and 6 of my presentation at your request, but if it's possible, I'd like to have them in the record as read.