Mr. Speaker, three of my Reform colleagues have just returned from a fact finding tour of the indiscriminate logging that has taken place on the Stoney Reserve in Alberta.
The member for North Island-Powell River, who has over 20 years of forestry experience, said he has never witnessed as much timber cut in one place at one time.
The minister of Indian affairs, through the Indian Act and the Indian timber regulations, has a legal obligation to ensure sound logging practices and prevent environmental disasters on reserves. The minister knew about the logging on this reserve yet did nothing to stop it.
Why did the minister not act to prevent the destruction of the forest on the Stoney Reserve in Alberta?