Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with my colleague fromAbitibi—Témiscamingue.
I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak today to the Conservative Party motion. It is unfortunate that the Conservatives are taking an approach that would only escalate tensions and does nothing to help resolve the current crisis.
The Bloc Québecois cannot support the Conservative motion's approach. Why not? The answer is obvious. This motion focuses on divisions within the Wet'suwet'en nation, in keeping with the good old colonial tactic of divide and conquer. It helps demonize the protesters. It attempts to set the first nations against each other. In no way does it help resolve the crisis.
Basically, this Conservative motion forces the House to take sides in a conflict that is none of its business. It forces us to choose between the hereditary chiefs and the band council. Adopting and enforcing this motion would only add fuel to the fire and would do nothing to resolve the crisis and lift the blockades.
I note that the Bloc Québécois seems to be the only party that has set aside partisanship in order to find potential solutions to this ongoing conflict. We have already made several proposals. For example, the Bloc Québécois asked that a war room be created with Ottawa and the provinces concerned. The Bloc Québécois called on the federal government to appoint a mediator tasked with initiating talks on the territorial issues with the independent Wet'suwet'en in exchange for an end to the railway blockades. The Bloc Québécois called for an emergency debate so that the House could discuss potential solutions to adopt. In a speech to the House, the leader of the Bloc Québécois proposed the temporary suspension of the Coastal GasLink pipeline in exchange for the removal of the barricades. The Bloc Québécois proposed that the Prime Minister apologize on behalf of the RCMP for considering the use of lethal force against the protesters. The Leader of the Bloc Québécois suggested that an indigenous police force selected by the Wet'suwet'en nation replace the RCMP on their territory.
Since the beginning of this crisis, it seems that only the Bloc Québécois has been trying to find concrete solutions to address the situation. We did not stand idly by, unlike the Prime Minister and his ministers, who did nothing for far too long, hoping that everything would fix itself. The federal government needs to step up and take action.
Quebec is taking action. This past Tuesday, the Quebec National Assembly adopted a motion that reads as follows:
THAT the National Assembly reaffirm its adherence to the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;
THAT, accordingly, it invite the governments of Québec [and] Canada to maintain egalitarian nation-to-nation relations with the indigenous peoples of Québec and Canada...
THAT it acknowledge that the current conflict, which stems from the Coastal GasLink pipeline project, is having an undesirable impact on railway network users and on the [Quebec] economy;
THAT the National Assembly call for a negotiated, peaceful political solution to the current crisis, in order to prevent violence.
Unlike the Conservatives, who are taking a hard-line approach, the Bloc Québécois joins with Quebec's elected officials in their unanimous will to find a peaceful solution to this crisis. We urgently need action and a peaceful solution to this crisis.
With every day that this crisis goes on, our economy suffers even more. This crisis is affecting workers and ordinary folks. Just look at the number of CN employees who have been temporarily laid off because of the rail blockade. If nothing is done right now, many more employees will join their ranks.
I would like to list other major effects of this crisis. The blockade in Belleville is currently preventing the flow of $2 billion worth of goods. It is hard for companies to find alternatives because, in addition to being 25% to 35% more expensive, the trucking industry is already facing a serious labour shortage.
The blockade is causing major problems for forestry companies, which are already struggling due to the current softwood lumber dispute, since they rely on rail transport to ship their lumber.
Forestry producers do not get paid until the shipment is received. If this situation goes on much longer, it could lead to cash-flow problems.
Thousands of containers of goods destined for western Canada are backlogged at Quebec's ports. Many perishable goods will spoil if they are not delivered. Trains full of perishable goods are sitting idle on the tracks. If the blockade goes on, Quebec could experience a propane shortage that could be extremely damaging, especially for farmers. Passenger trains will also suffer the consequences of these blockades. Many people need to take the train to get to work.
For all these reasons, the federal government must find a solution quickly to put an end to this crisis. It cannot go on.
Soon, Quebec consumers will suffer the consequences, as will those in neighbouring provinces. Quebec's food market relies on the railways running smoothly.
According to René Desmarais, a senior consultant with the Conseil québécois du commerce de détail, if the crisis continues, it is just a matter of days before Quebeckers are faced with empty shelves at supermarkets and other stores. According to him, that could happen as early as this weekend.
The rail blockades have paralyzed most freight transportation for the past two weeks. The government needs to re-establish communication with representatives of the Wet'suwet'en nation because the entire transport logistics chain is in jeopardy.
This is the 15th day of the crisis, and nothing has been done. Where is the Liberal government's leadership in a crisis situation? We are not seeing it. The government needs to break the impasse and end the crisis that is disrupting our economy, causing job losses and affecting many families. This is a crisis of confidence that further undermines the agreement with all peoples of the nation. Let us negotiate and give them the legitimacy they deserve. Let us work together to establish a society worthy of the name.
In closing, I want to reiterate that we must find a peaceful way to resolve the crisis. The approach proposed by the Conservative Party will certainly not lead to such an outcome. That is why I cannot support the motion we are debating today. We do not want to relive the Oka crisis 30 years on, so it is important to find the right approach for putting an end to this crisis. The government will then have to find a permanent way to prevent this sort of crisis. The current government has set the bar extremely high when it comes to reconciliation with indigenous peoples. This has created expectations and has led to frustration and disappointment when the government does not live up to those expectations.