That is what we politicians do. We have our ear to the ground all the time, listening to what the public is saying, and we have to factor in every situation before a decision is made. At least when an elected official decides something, citizens have a recourse. None of you are elected, with the exception of Mr. Namagoose I presume. When unelected bodies make final decisions, where do the citizens go? They can't go anywhere.
We had a very interesting testimony this week from Chief Ernie Crey of the Cheam First Nation in B.C. He was quite blunt about what environmentalists have been doing. He's the subject of an article whose headline reads, “Environmentalists 'red-wash' their fight against pipeline, First Nation chief says”. I'm quoting. This isn't me saying it. The article quotes Chief Crey as saying, “We have a vigorous environmental movement in B.C. and they have learned that they can use aboriginal communities to advance their agenda.”
We also had testimony from Chief Boucher from Fort McKay First Nation, an area I'm familiar with from when I spent time in the oil sands. They have 100% employment in their community. The annual income is $120,000 per year and they have financial holdings in excess of $2 billion, thanks to their willingness to do business with oil companies in the oil sands.
Mr. Kneen, is it a bad thing to have 100% employment?