Mr. Speaker, for more than two weeks, trade and tourism have been ground to a halt in and around Cornwall as a result of the closed border. Businesses already hard-hit by a recession are wondering how they are going to keep their doors open, how they are going to keep going.
The fault rests with the government. It has refused to even try to resolve the dispute between the Akwesasne people and the CBSA, a dispute to which all agree no ground exists. The public safety minister has closed his ears. He did not consult the Akwesasne before and he refuses to try to work with them now.
Why is the minister so indifferent to the suffering of this community? Why does he refuse to try to intervene and find a solution? It is his job.