Madam Speaker, the government's response to my position that a stay could be sought from the Supreme Court of Canada and that a rehearing of the judgment would be appropriate was simply to reject it as unfounded. I did not just pull that suggestion out of the air. I consulted with some prominent constitutional lawyers in my home province of British Columbia, lawyers who have experience before the Supreme Court of Canada. It was their suggestion and one that is very real.
A caller mentioned to me early this morning that some of the bands that had committed to participating in the moratorium had simply moved their gear and placed it elsewhere. I cannot confirm this, but if the moratorium has been broken, the government should use the opportunity to say that the situation is out of hand and out of control and that it would be best to go back to the supreme court to seek some legitimate advice on how to handle the situation. It has 30 days to do that. In other words, there are only about three days left for the government to make that representation to the supreme court.