Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring the attention of the House to a very important matter in my riding. Over the past few months the health of the Lake Dauphin fishery has been questioned. Fishing practices and conservation are the issues.
The matter has taken on an urgent sense this spring as some aboriginals have been using gill nets to catch fish during their river spawning runs. This has upset the people of the parkland who have worked hard to stock the lake to ensure it thrives for generations to come.
It should be noted that many aboriginals and first nations leaders do not condone this reckless act toward this precious resource.
The minister responsible for fisheries has a duty to explain to the people in my riding of Dauphin—Swan River how this issue will be resolved.
Does conservation of a natural resource take precedence over an aboriginal fishing right? What does the word sustenance mean when quoting these rights? What are the acceptable methods of carrying out sustenance activities?