Mr. Speaker, I thank the House for agreeing to this.
The minister spoke about two of the areas of serious concern with Bill C-49. One is the disposition of marital property in the event of a marital breakdown. She has indicated her willingness and her concern in this area.
If the minister is so concerned, why are the provisions not in the legislation to provide that protection for aboriginal women? Many aboriginal women have contacted not only the official opposition but also the minister and government members to express those concerns. Why are those provisions not in the legislation? Why did the government choose not to support Bloc amendments which would have gone a long way toward providing that?
The minister said that the expropriation provisions are not as sweeping and as broad as some have painted them to be. How would the minister respond to a real estate agent's letter to a client in Vancouver where he advised his client to take his property which is currently located on the Musqueam reserve off the market because Bill C-49 is hanging as a sword over the property owner's head? There is absolutely no possibility of marketing the property on leased land which a couple of years ago was valued at $700,000. That does not square with what the minister is saying at all. This is an independent, unbiased real estate agent's expressed opinion.
I direct those two questions to the minister and ask her to respond.