Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House to provide comment to the previous member's words on the term 17 amendment and the subsequent passage of it in this House.
I am pleased also to see that the hon. member is taking the constitutional obligations of the Government of Canada so seriously. The Constitution is a sacred instrument, something we cannot take lightly.
We as parliamentarians have a very strong and sincere interest in protecting all the rights of all members of Canadian society. But we are talking about a Newfoundland issue here, an issue which is affecting Newfoundlanders. I want to make a comment and bring the issue back a little closer to perhaps the hon. member's home turf and talk a bit about other constitutional obligations.
The Constitution Act, 1982 and its interpretation, subsequent to the Sparrow decision, requires that the Government of Canada respect the rights of aboriginal groups to fish for food, social and ceremonial purposes. That is a provision as interpreted by the courts of Canada that is sacred and entrusted within the Constitution.
We are talking about a Newfoundland issue. I do not want to stray off the mark here to much but I think the commentary of the hon. member is very valid because he feels, as do I, that the constitutional obligations as they are described, whether within this Parliament or within the courts, are an obligation of all members of Canadian society.
The hon. member stated very clearly that the Government of Canada has a constitutional obligation to maintain the right of all aboriginal groups throughout Canada to fish for food, social and ceremonial purposes. He also advocates that the Government of Canada has to protect that right and it has the opportunity to enter into various agreements to make sure that the enactment of that right will be maintained for time immemorial.
I will leave my commentary at that and say thank you to the hon. member for his commentary, for saying to all the people of Canada from the west coast to the east coast and central Canada, everywhere, that he feels strongly that all aboriginal groups, because of the interpretation in the Sparrow decision, have a constitutional obligation, he has a constitutional obligation to maintain the rights of aboriginals.