Mr. Speaker, in Manitoba, law-abiding hunters are being denied access to public Crown lands by an illegal blockade near Bloodvein. Let us be clear that provincial crown lands are public lands. They are meant to be enjoyed by everyone. The wildlife on those lands is managed by a provincial department. The road where the illegal checkpoint is set up is a provincial road, and the RCMP in Manitoba operate under a provincial contract.
Instead of enforcing the law, according to media reports, a Manitoba NDP minister may have broken the law and tried to bribe a chief of a first nation. The federal Minister of Public Safety must tell Manitobans whether these troubling allegations against one of Premier Kinew's ministers are being investigated. Because the provincial NDP government has failed to resolve this situation, I am calling on the Minister of Northern Affairs, who is also the MP for this area, to intervene and have the roadblock removed.
Protecting hunting rights and respecting indigenous rights should not come at the expense of the rule of law.