Mr. Speaker, I too am pleased to rise in the House to participate in the debate on Bill C-27, an act representing national parks. Before I begin to address the motions I should like to take a moment to express some of the frustration and disappointment I have felt with the government in the way it has tried to push this piece of legislation through the House before the end of the session.
For instance, a couple of weeks ago we were notified that we would be debating Bill C-27 at second reading the following Wednesday. Late on Thursday afternoon we got a call that we would be debating Bill C-27 the next day. I was fortunate that I was present and could participate in the debate, but some of my colleagues were not able to do so. That is the type of thing that takes away from the good will in the heritage committee and from the ability to properly participate in the process.
We saw some of this going on in committee when we had to sit extended hours for two or three days just so that we could listen to all the witnesses that had to come before us. I am not bothered by the fact that we had to work extended hours but I felt we had to rush and could not properly do all that had to be done. It meant that we had not only to listen to testimony but also had to study and read transcripts. The period of time to do that was too compressed and took away from our ability as parliamentarians to do our work in the proper way.
I congratulate the member for Dauphin—Swan River for submitting his thoughtful amendments. I only regret, however, that he chose to withdraw the same amendments from the heritage committee during clause by clause consideration where we would have had the opportunity to debate them to see exactly where he was going with this piece of legislation and his amendments.
I thought some of the amendments that the member made were quite reasonable. When he refused to put them forward at the heritage committee I began questioning whether the member had changed his mind and now agreed with the government's position on the particular clauses.
Enough about that. Let me touch a little on the motions before us, in particular Motions Nos. 1 and 2 introduced by the member for Dauphin—Swan River. These motions would have the federal government seek agreement with the provinces and the local governing body when creating or enlarging a park.
Like the member for Dauphin—Swan River, I also was concerned with ensuring that people living within the park communities had a chance to take part in the discussions and have input, but the problem arises with the ability to define local government and to describe exactly what it means.
Banff has its own government. We know that the federal government would not like to see that. We recognize that Jasper really did not want that type of thing but wanted some input into the process. The difficulty lies in defining exactly what local government is.
Motion No. 3 was introduced by my hon. colleague from Churchill River. This motion further highlights the extent to which negotiations must be undertaken with all stakeholders.
We introduced an amendment during clause by clause consideration by the heritage committee that would specifically include commercial interest as part of the negotiations. The government changed the clause such that we could support what it did that would make the process broader to include commercial interests as well. This amendment would serve to strengthen the consultation process.
Motion No. 4 is an amendment again introduced by my colleague from Dauphin—Swan River. It would ensure that the federal government could not cut off the traditional supply of water to adjacent residents. With the focus on ecological integrity, maintenance and restoration, this could possibly come into play. It is not a bad idea. It is there to ensure that the supply of fresh water remains constant.
Motion No. 5 was also introduced by my colleague from Dauphin—Swan River. I like this amendment because it gives local residents a greater say in determining the increase in fees, rates, rents and other charges for those who use park resources and facilities. Since this affects them directly they should have a say in it.
It might also help prevent the astronomical increase in property taxes that the people of Jasper are now being threatened with. Perhaps through public input we could determine an appropriate cost for entering our national parks areas that will be affordable to the average Canadian. We want all Canadians to be able to enjoy our national parts. That is what national parks are all about.
Motion No. 5 concerns the control of access to parks by air, which again was introduced by my colleague from Dauphin—Swan River. I know he is an avid pilot who has been flying for years. This issue had been dealt with in the past by the removal of an airport at Banff. It is my belief the landing strip should be maintained for emergency purposes just in case it is needed. It should be maintained for those purposes.
Motion No. 10 was introduced by the hon. member for Dauphin—Swan River. We would like to encourage participation by all stakeholders in any decision making process. We want operators of our ski hills to have an equal say in the future of their industry. As any homeowner or business owner, they have a role to play in the creation of a community plan.
Motion No. 13 was introduced by the hon. member for Churchill River. I am not certain it reinforces the rights of aboriginal people to carry on their traditional renewable resource harvesting activities. The language of the government better addresses this concern. However we do not dispute the aboriginal peoples right to carry on their traditional harvesting in park reserves.
In conclusion, I thank the House for allowing me this time to speak to these motions and to the reworking and preparation of Bill C-27.