Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for giving notice of this question, important as it is to the people of British Columbia.
The suggestion of the minister of health in British Columbia to the Government of Canada that it is holding up or is stopping a public consultation process is absolutely false. It is an absolute red herring.
The people of British Columbia should know that the Government of British Columbia and Alcan have engaged in secret negotiations. They have prepared a secret report on the outcome of these negotiations. They have refused to give that report to the Government of Canada or to any other interested stakeholder.
I would say to the Government of British Columbia that managing the salmon resource is not a bingo game, it is not a game of chance. It has to be done properly and it should be done openly.