Evidence of meeting #32 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was ncc.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Nicole DesRoches  General Director, Regional council for the environment and sustainable development in Outaouais
Al Speyers  President, Alliance To Save Our Green Belt
Andrew McDermott  Co-Chair, Gatineau Park Protection Committee
Jean-Paul Murray  Co-Chair, Gatineau Park Protection Committee

4:40 p.m.

Co-Chair, Gatineau Park Protection Committee

Jean-Paul Murray

Seventy-five metres from the park.

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

Have you previously bought land from the NCC?

4:40 p.m.

Co-Chair, Gatineau Park Protection Committee

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

How much land did you buy?

4:40 p.m.

Co-Chair, Gatineau Park Protection Committee

Jean-Paul Murray

One lot, on the open market, Mr. Proulx.

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

What was its area?

4:40 p.m.

Co-Chair, Gatineau Park Protection Committee

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

When you say “on the open market”, are you saying you bought it from the NCC or from another owner?

4:40 p.m.

Co-Chair, Gatineau Park Protection Committee

Jean-Paul Murray

I bought it from the NCC.

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

All right. That puts you 75 metres away from the park.

4:40 p.m.

Co-Chair, Gatineau Park Protection Committee

Jean-Paul Murray

That's correct.

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

In your opinion, do the properties inside the park or bordering on the park have any added value because of their proximity to the park or of their location in the park?

4:40 p.m.

Co-Chair, Gatineau Park Protection Committee

Jean-Paul Murray

I ask you the question. Do you live near the park as well, Mr. Proulx?

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

No, sir.

4:40 p.m.

Co-Chair, Gatineau Park Protection Committee

Jean-Paul Murray

No, all right.

Perhaps they do, perhaps they don't, but I don't know where your question is headed.

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

It's not important. I'm asking you the question. What do you think?

4:40 p.m.

Co-Chair, Gatineau Park Protection Committee

Jean-Paul Murray

I haven't consulted a real estate agent to determine that.

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

Good, all right.

You talk about section 43 in your brief.

4:40 p.m.

Co-Chair, Gatineau Park Protection Committee

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

You're talking about section 43 of the Constitution; let's get that straight.

I'd like to know why you refer to it. To my knowledge, Gatineau Park doesn't overlap a territorial boundary between Ontario and Quebec.

4:40 p.m.

Co-Chair, Gatineau Park Protection Committee

Jean-Paul Murray

No. Section 43 states that the consent of the province must be obtained before boundaries are changed.

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

What boundaries?

4:40 p.m.

Co-Chair, Gatineau Park Protection Committee

Jean-Paul Murray

The boundaries of the province.

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

All right.

4:40 p.m.

Co-Chair, Gatineau Park Protection Committee

Jean-Paul Murray

The principle of territorial integrity, in international law, cuts across that of the internal boundaries of a territory. In our brief, if you read it, we talked about national parks, military bases and aboriginal reserves. These are territories in a province that are under federal jurisdiction. International law therefore acknowledges the internal boundaries and integrity of the territory. To change the boundaries of Gatineau Park, as for the other national parks, we therefore recommend that the consent of the province be requested.

Currently, the boundaries of Gatineau Park have been changed to cut off 8 km2. I don't know what you were doing when that happened. I had to make 150 access to information requests to determine what happened. Not a single MP complained or talked about it when it took place. So I wonder. If the Government of Quebec had been involved in the process, it would have been more transparent.