Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague for the quality of his research on this subject. I like to hear about the Saguenay fjord and the St. Lawrence River.
In 1984, Parks Canada and the federal government did not have one single document about the Saguenay fjord. When I was elected as a young member in 1984, one of my main priorities was to do everything I could to have the fjord included in the Canadian national parks system.
When I was re-elected, I was happy to be able to co-operate with the minister on this issue. That co-operation led to the creation of a new national marine park by the federal government. It took 14 years. Millions of dollars were invested in research. It must be said though that environmental issues were an important part of the government's agenda at that time, which led to the treaty on acid rain, the St. Lawrence River action plan and the green plan. All that to illustrate the fact that it was an ongoing concern of the government.
I can tell my colleague that the Saguenay—St. Lawrence marine park is an extraordinary accomplishment. Not only will it contribute to the preservation of our marine resources, but it will also help bring our region to the fore nationally and internationally.
I am a little bit surprised that my colleague would want to focus on frictions between the two levels of government, because the establishment of the park, which required the co-operation of several departments at the provincial and federal levels, was a success.
Are there any documents or statements by the Quebec government or the federal government that show disagreements in the negotiations related to this bill?
I would like to be made aware of these disagreements, because the establishment of the Saguenay—St. Lawrence marine park was a complete success. For the next hundred years, it will allow us to preserve our resources and also to be known in the rest of the country. Knowing that Parks Canada advertises all over the world, one can see why this is important for our region.
I would really like to know the source of these frictions between both levels of government.