Mr. Speaker, when speaking to the bill, I started by concentrating on a positive thing, which was that all sides of the House agreed by unanimous consent to pull out the parts that we thought needed immediate action, the reforming of the pensions of members of Parliament. That was a very positive thing and I would like to see more of it in this place.
It is not being unnecessarily negative to notice when a piece of legislation that has been fundamental to protecting navigation rights in this country since 1882 is blown apart in a way that seems to show no reason or consideration. National heritage rivers are excluded. In percentage terms, over 99% of the internal waterways of Canada will no longer have a right to protect navigation unless the individual concerned goes to court.
There is an economic impact to this. I do not know if the hon. member is familiar with it, but many companies make their living bringing Canadians to remote areas of the country, for instance, for rafting excursions on Yukon rivers and in the Northwest Territories. Throughout Canada, there are companies whose livelihoods depend on these rivers being navigable and now they are being removed as though they do not exist. How does my hon. friend suggest we fix this in committee?