Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge the Alberta government to immediately appeal the Alberta Court of Appeal's marginal 3:2 decision regarding the constitutionality of Bill C-68.
The provinces must stand firm and not retreat. They must protect their exclusive power to regulate property and protect law-abiding Canadians from this unprecedented attack upon their civil liberties. They must protect taxpayers from the horrendous costs of Bill C-68. There is clear justification to stop the Liberal government from implementing Bill C-68 at any cost.
According to Sun columnist Michael Harris, the justice department failed to competitively tender a $1.3 million printing contract for the registration forms, a direct violation of Treasury Board guidelines and the NAFTA agreement. This is a clear and apparent circumvention of the law.
Once again I implore the provinces to stand firm. The Alberta court decision must be appealed.