Mr. Speaker, it is an honour once again to rise on behalf of the great people in Simcoe—Grey and, more specifically, those in Clearview Township.
This has been mentioned before in the House many times, but this is a new petition about the over-the-horizon radar system that is going forward. Phase one was the purchase of 711 acres. It was a simple buy because all of the land was bought from one farmer. The project has already started, with the moving of the earth, and it is moving forward.
The petitioners in the area are really upset. The township is opposed to it. The residents are opposed to it. There is also big fear about phase two, which is another roughly 3,000 acres that may face expropriation. This is prime farm agricultural land that we will not get back. They understand that there is always a balance between food security and national security, but there are other options out there.
The petitioners are calling for three things: Number one, halt construction activities associated with the proposed over-the-horizon infrastructure in Clearview Township until environmental and alternative analysis have been completed; number two, make public all documents relating to alternative locations and conduct a transparent review of existing federal Crown and defence lands; and number three, ensure the defence infrastructure is not sited on prime agricultural lands and ecologically connected lands, including those associated with the Minesing Wetlands. There are a lot of concerns here.