Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, the government talks about saving money, but here it is losing $48 million. I do not know whether the parliamentary secretary understood that.
He wants to hand this program over to the private sector. Why lose the expertise of our public sector scientific researchers? Is it not more logical for the federal government to be responsible for the Experimental Lakes Area? That is entirely consistent with the government's mandate.
The federal government is responsible for ensuring water quality, the protection of biodiversity and pollution attenuation. Furthermore, public sector management of the Experimental Lakes Region makes for stable funding and greater accountability.
Development of the oil sands presents significant risks to the quality of our waterways, and the research conducted at the Experimental Lakes Area research station will help develop data to minimize the risks and environmental impacts of this sector, but that irritates the Conservatives and their industry friends.
I am nevertheless asking the government whether it can commit to retaining public management of the Experimental Lakes Area and avoid being partisan in an area that has such a significant impact on human and environmental health.