Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Supreme Court of Canada finally provided Atlantic Canadians with some clarification as to what extent native rights are being addressed in its September 17 decision.
It is obvious that the supreme court decision was completely misinterpreted by the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development who unilaterally decided that the ruling contained provisions that dealt directly with logging, mineral and offshore gas exploration rights.
The minister contradicted his own minister of fisheries at a crucial time when tensions on the east coast were at their highest. His statements were totally irresponsible and only added further fear and unrest within our communities.
The minister and his government completely ignored calls for clarification of the Donald Marshall decision and instead forced the West Nova Fishermen's Coalition to do their job for them. The minister was totally irresponsible in his actions. He misinterpreted the court's decision and as such has misinformed the Canadian public.