Mr. Speaker, Canadians of all walks of life and persuasions agree on a vision which includes protecting endangered species.
When the government first proposed endangered species legislation last year it entered into consultations and a committee process. The consultative process excluded rural Canada and Canada east of Ontario.
The way the bill has been amended in the most recent version has changed the thrust of the legislation so significantly that original supporters are now in open revolt.
A grand coalition including business, workers and communities in British Columbia is appealing for the bill to be scrapped and replaced with responsible endangered species legislation. It feels strongly that species protection must be designed both by scientists and democratically accountable officials and not in the courts.
We do not want to obtain the same results that were obtained south of us where there has been massive social and economic hardship and 25 years of ongoing litigation.
I ask the minister to scrap the bill.