Mr. Speaker, last week I tabled in this chamber a petition signed by people from many regions of Quebec. They are asking the federal government to assume its responsibilities and take action to remove the 300,000 shells, 8,000 of them unexploded, that have been abandoned by National Defence in Lac Saint-Pierre, which UNESCO has designated a world biosphere reserve.
The federal government must correct its errors, especially since the local communities wish to take charge of sustainable development of the UNESCO world biosphere reserve. However, in recent years the Department of National Defence has adopted a piecemeal, often improvised approach.
The Bloc Québécois urges the Minister of National Defence to table without delay a specific plan with a detailed timetable that will result in the full recovery of these shells.