Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Indian Affairs. The Voisey Bay deposit in Labrador, which promises to be one of the richest in Canada and more important for Newfoundland than the Hibernia Project, is located on lands claimed by the Innu. The federal government and the Government of Newfoundland suspended negotiations on land claims during the very month the deposit was discovered.
Can the minister give the Innu guarantees that the federal government will do everything in its power to settle the land claims before the start of mining operations in Voisey Bay?