Mr. Speaker, I can see that many members want to put questions, so I would like to give the hon. member for Skeena the opportunity to speak while the Ministers of Fisheries and Oceans and Indian Affairs are here, by asking him the following question.
Since the House of Commons has recognized the need to hold, on this very first day of the session, after the government has prorogued Parliament, an emergency debate on the fishery crisis and the Marshall judgment, would it not have been important for the government to immediately re-establish both the standing committees on aboriginal affairs and fisheries, so that we could find out who would be representing the government on these committees?
Some members have told us tonight “We are not lawyers nor constitutional law experts”. This committee would have had the opportunity and the money to examine the ins and outs of this issue and help us make a more informed decision on what is happening here.
I have the feeling that the government, just like the minister who would like us to believe that he is doing something, would have us go round in circles. I would remind the House that we do not even have the right to vote on the issue being debated here tonight. In the end, I feel like I may be losing my time here, when there are things to be negotiated.
In the meantime, to be able to inform the people we represent, we should have access to correct and relevant information. I would like to know if my hon. colleague from Skeena is as eager as I am to find out the truth and to see if the government is indeed out of money.