Mr. Speaker, obviously we feel that this last year's surplus could have been used for some of those needs.
I have a question for the Minister of Foreign Affairs who, in response to a question by the member for Winnipeg Centre yesterday, said that it was up to American Secretary of State Colin Powell to decide whether the Devil's Lake diversion violated the boundary waters treaty. What happened to Canadian sovereignty here? Surely it is not just up to Secretary of State Powell to decide whether this violates the boundary waters treaty.
Will the minister agree to the request of the Manitoba government to refer this matter to the international joint commission so we can have an independent judgment on this?