Mr. Speaker, today's news that Canada has won an agreement to delay diverting water away from Devils Lake while negotiations are ongoing is very significant.
I would like to thank the Prime Minister for consistently raising this issue with President Bush.
Hopefully, this delay finally signals North Dakota's acknowledgement of the serious environmental and political ramifications of such a project.
To divert these waters into Manitoba's rivers and lakes risks setting a precedent that would compromise the integrity of our longstanding boundary agreements with the United States.
I want to encourage all the hon. members of this House to join me and my Liberal colleagues, and a growing number of voices on both sides of the border, in calling on North Dakota to respect the Boundary Waters Treaty and to agree to a joint reference to the International Joint Commission.
We want to preserve water quality in the rivers and lakes of Manitoba while maintaining good relations with the United States for future generations.