Mr. Speaker, I am glad to have an opportunity to participate in the debate and deal with some of the issues the Bloc has raised, particularly the critic who made the original intervention, the member for Rimouski—Mitis, who has worked hard with our department on a number of issues to try to enhance our protection of special places in this country.
I am very disappointed to hear the Bloc's opposition to this bill. The previous speaker from the Bloc tried to suggest to Canadians and Canadians in Quebec that it is not opposing an environmental bill, legislation that will help protect our marine ecosystems.
People should be absolutely clear that they are opposing just that type of legislation, they are opposing the protection of the marine environments in that part of the country. Why are they opposing it? They are opposing it because they put up a situation that does not reflect the reality of what this bill would do or reflect the reality of the conditions as they exist today.
As the member for Rimouski—Mitis said, there are eight potential marine conservation areas around the province of Quebec. I believe six of those areas are exclusively federal jurisdiction and the province of Quebec accepts that. There is no issue about infringing on provincial rights or provincial prerogatives. Those are accepted by all parties, by the province and federal government, as being exclusively federal.
When parks are established in that area, even though they are federal, as has been our practice in the past, we will consult with our host communities and the host province, but they are clearly federal jurisdiction.
There are situations where the jurisdiction could be provincial and I think we should look at the record when that situation existed. When we went to Ontario to establish Fathom Five, a marine conservation area, the first one in Canada, we worked with the provincial government and came to agreement with the provincial government. We are working today in British Columbia in Gwaii Haanas. Again we work with the province and have come to an agreement with it.
We are working in terms of some feasibility studies, one in my hon. colleague's riding of Gander—Grand Falls. It is the same thing when we are working in the straits in British Columbia.
When we worked in an area of the province of Quebec where there was clearly provincial jurisdiction, as we have with the other provinces, we developed a model to work in that area. That model was reflected with the Sagenauy-St. Lawrence bill.
The suggestions by the Bloc that this legislation is somehow a massive intrusion on provincial authority is just not consistent with the facts. Not only is it not consistent with the facts, if one looks at the practices that have been carried out by Parks Canada one will find that is not consistent with what is actually taking place. They are creating a controversy, a reason to oppose, and that reason is not based on the reality of the situation today.
It is very disappointing to see in the House that they are taking a piece of legislation which will help protect the environment, the special places of the marine ecosystems around that province, as they are around the rest of the country, and for parochial reasons that have absolutely no basis in fact they are going to throw away or oppose this very important piece of environmental legislation.
It is really disconcerting to see them do that. It is disconcerting to see them fighting a provincial election on the floor of this House and to find excuses for opposing an important piece of legislation. They know full well this legislation does not infringe on provincial jurisdiction.
They know full well it has been our practice in the past to work with the provincial governments in establishing marine conservation areas. The hon. member from Vanier made it very clear that was going to continue to be the policy of Parks Canada and of heritage Canada. They are simply creating opposition based on something that is not a fact, that is not true.
It is important that all Canadians understand that. It is particularly important for those Canadians who live in the province of Quebec to understand clearly that Bloc members in the House are opposing a piece of legislation which will help protect the environment of that area of the country. They are opposed to it for reasons that are simply not as they state. This is not an infringement on provincial jurisdiction. I thought that point needed to be made.