Mr. Speaker, I must grudgingly admit that the member's riding of Kootenay—Columbia is almost as beautiful as mine.
As I said, the South Okanagan—West Kootenay is an area that is unique in Canada. It is part of the dry interior of British Columbia that is one of the very last ecoregions of Canada that does not have a national park. There has been an initiative now over 10 years, since I think 2003, to initiate a national park in that area. I very much would like to see that move forward.
Parks Canada has been developing policy over the last decade to move the park idea forward, while protecting the livelihoods of ranchers and other stakeholders, and involve local first nations in close collaboration with that. I look forward to meeting with my provincial counterparts in the riding to move that idea forward.