Mr. Speaker, first I want to join my colleagues in commending the hon. member for Jonquière for her excellent work. The member is known for her relentless work and the emphasis she puts on team work.
Several times, she has asked her colleagues from the Bloc to help her deal with some issues that were raised in committee and with which they were more familiar. Since I am the critic for Indian affairs for my party, I have met a few times with native groups. The Assembly of First Nations made a presentation that attracted a lot of attention, and I think the Inuit Tapirisat also came before the committee.
Since several native groups did participate in the process, I feel I can speak on this issue.
First, let me read a quote from the report of the royal commission that I find very significant. It deals with the events the occurred in the Yukon during the gold rush. “When Skookum Jim found some gold, everything changed. The first white men came to our country. They took everything the Indians had. Now, they want this country, this land. I have 64 grandchildren in the Yukon. I worry about them. What will happen? Where are the grandparents of the white kids? The native people should have their own land”. For the record, this is a quote from Annie Ned, an excerpt from a book by Julie Cruikshank, Life lived like a story , published by the University of British Columbia Press.
I think this excerpt helps put things in perspective. Considering the way things have evolved regarding the environmental issue, we have nothing to brag about. Again, I can read excerpts of the royal commission which says that many descriptions of the environment were made back then, when the Europeans arrived, namely by the Jesuits.
They described flocks of ducks and Canada geese so dense that they were like a cloud obscuring the sun. Or miraculous fishing trips where Europeans only had to stick their hands in the river to catch fish.
Of course, there is something symbolic in all this. Maybe some facts are not absolutely exact. But this goes to show that before the Europeans came, native people were living in an environment that was untouched and perfect. They always had the greatest respect for the environment. What happened after white people came to this country? Well things began to deteriorate.
With the recent developments of the 60's, 70's and 80's, things are far from getting better. Instead, they are getting worse. Natives in the North have often told me they were very concerned about mining projects, among other things.
A while ago I mentioned the Yukon. I went there when I was first elected here in 1993. I saw the disaster caused by the gold rush which totally changed nature and the environment. Consequently, the aboriginals are stuck with lands for which they have made claims but on which they must sacrifice part of their environmental standards and of their great respect for nature. It is somewhat distressing for them, and it some of the things they often mention.
There is also, in the far north, mercury pollution left behind on Canadian and American bases. Canada and the U.S. ran these bases, but left everything behind. There is so much pollution that the Inuit are deeply concerned about the food chain, which is deteriorating. Traces of mercury have even been found in breast milk. That is something we often hear, and the situation is far from improving.
We have nothing to be proud of. Some will say “Quebec is no better because it also caused some deterioration to the environment”. People often refer to the James Bay Agreement, to which I say “What about hydro in Manitoba? The Cree were the victims of hydro projects ten times worse that what was done in a civil way in Quebec”.
I am sure that we have had our disagreements with the aboriginals, but we settled our difficulties and we are continuing to settle problems, for that matter. There are demands for the reopening of the James Bay agreement, and there are important environmental components that the Government of Quebec is ready to look at.
I join with my colleagues in saying that this bill will, once again, create duplication and overlap. As per usual, Ottawa is acting like a big brother who wants to manage the whole environmental issue and go over the provinces' heads. This is utterly deplorable.
Under the James Bay agreement, Quebec can say to aboriginal peoples “We are ready to re-examine some provisions in order to update them; if you have concerns about the environment, we are ready to work with you in order to correct them”.
In Quebec, there is a tradition of negotiating with the aboriginal peoples that is quite unlike what occurred in Manitoba. When I say ten times worse, I refer to the fact that rivers in Manitoba have been diverted and that the lands of some aboriginal peoples have been completely flooded.
Today, several decades later, those peoples are still demanding compensation and those issues have yet to be settled. In fact, some bills dealing with aboriginal peoples and in particular with the terrible hydro situation in Manitoba will soon be introduced in the House of Commons.
I also travelled to British Columbia on several occasions and it is a true scandal to see the clear-cutting that is going on there. I raised the issue with the federal Minister of Natural Resources and his counterpart in British Columbia. The government's strategy is quite simple: when lands are claimed by aboriginal peoples, that sets off a rush on natural resources. In other words, the idea is to get out as much of the resources as possible then, once clear-cutting is completed, the government announces to the aboriginal peoples that it is ready to transfer lands.
This strategy is rather crooked. On the road, hundreds of trucks go by. Loggers practice clear-cutting, load trucks and then race to get as much of the natural resources as possible from lands claimed by aboriginal peoples.
I saw that with the Nisga'a. Fortunately, this fall we are probably going ahead with the passage of a bill which will confirm the final signing with the Nisga'a.
There are other aboriginal communities, such as the Chilkotin and the Carrier-Sekani, who are making land claims and are having to watch powerless while their forests are systematically being cut down. When the cutting is over, then the aboriginal peoples will be told “Now we are ready to sit down with you and negotiate land claims”. They are going to find they have very little left.
I also wish to congratulate my colleague from Jonquière for having succeeded in getting the concept of traditional aboriginal knowledge included in the preamble. This is very important in today's context.
The aboriginal peoples' environmental expertise must be acknowledged. The environment is very important, not only as part of their culture, but also because of its link to their traditions of hunting, fishing and gathering. The oral nature of their traditions must be addressed. The Delgamuukw decision in the supreme court now recognizes that increasing importance will be attached to the oral tradition. I would like to congratulate my colleague for getting this included, at least in the preamble.
As for the overlap in general, as for the matter of big brother in Ottawa assuming the right to go over the provinces' heads, if the government does not heed the amendments submitted by my party, then of course the Bloc Quebecois will be forced to vote against Bill C-32.
In closing, I wish to thank the hon. member for Jonquière for her excellent work.