Mr. Speaker, I have but one petition, signed by many, to present today.
It reads in part:
Whereas the Federal Lands of Ontario's Durham Region encompass Class 1 Ontario Greenbelt farmland and vital watersheds of the Oak Ridges Moraine;
And whereas the Federal Government has recently announced that the Lands will be used for an airport and economic development but not for agriculture;
And whereas there is no business case for an airport at Pickering ...
And whereas ruling out agricultural uses on prime farmland — the land that feeds us — is unacceptable policy in the 21st century;
We, the undersigned citizens of Canada, call upon the House of Commons in Parliament assembled:
To rescind all plans for an airport and non-agricultural uses on the Federal Lands in Durham Region; and to act, instead, to preserve the watersheds and agricultural land of this irreplaceable natural resource, for the long-term benefit of all Canadians.