Madam Speaker, I wish to thank all members for speaking on the motion, particularly those who have offered support and those who have brought comments that I chose not to include because of time constraints.
The member for Vancouver East mentioned that this was not the way that the NDP government would have done this and criticized the Liberal government. The hon. Dave Zirnhelt, who was the NDP minister of forests in British Columbia, spoke to me and he wanted to do exactly what we are proposing today, and that is to provide the means for cutting. The reason that we need to cut is that the wood is infected and the bugs are spreading from that wood. We can either let it rot and fall down or we can cut it and gain the value that is available to us from that wood. The wood is going to be taken out of the forest one way or the other.
I want to comment on some of the things the member for Richmond said. He noted inaccurate information. He said that B.C. had not sought funding. This was a line that was given to me in a question I asked. After that question was asked and the answer given I went to the B.C. minister of forests and said that I asked a question and was told that assistance was not applied for. He looked at me with a strange look on his face and said that was absolute nonsense. I want that myth knocked on the head right now. British Columbia has done all that it can to receive the support that it deserves and that it has a right to expect from the government but has not received. The myths that are being perpetuated by the member for Richmond are not acceptable.
He talks about the minister flying over the Prince Rupert area. I wish he had flown over the area of the military reserve in Chilcotin at Risky Creek. That is another area where this grand infestation began. It is pouring out of federal military lands into provincial forests. This is the second time this has happened since I have been elected. The first time was with the fir bark beetle.
The federal government assured me that it would treat it as it was its responsibility. However not a thing was done, not one single thing. It threw up its hands because it did not get around to doing this. This is exactly what is happening again. I find it deplorable that the Liberal government would offer flawed excuses such as this.
I appreciate that it is a serious problem as the member has said. I too was at the briefing that the Canada forest service offers. I heard it say that this is a natural phenomenon which occurs every 80 years, but the difficulty is that now there are no fires. We have an extended period without the cold weather to control this insect.
Unless the federal government assists the provincial government, there will be a loss to the national treasury as well as the provincial treasury. It is not the government that suffers but the people who suffer.
I wish the member would take a walk and a ride through my constituency and watch the economic decline that my people are suffering, and I use the word suffering with full intention, because of the economic fallback from the softwood disagreement, the loss of jobs, and the loss of business.
It must be looked at. I implore the government and the House to recognize the seriousness of the arguments that I bring. Because it is so serious I respectfully request unanimous consent of the House to have Motion No. 435 made votable.