Mr. Speaker, first of all, I think this is a first for me in the House, but I would like to say that I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Saint-Jean.
I would also like to thank Emily Gough, who has been part of my team over the past few months, as the parliamentary interns will soon be leaving. I am extremely grateful to her for her contribution. I think many of us can attest to her hard work. I wish her the best of luck in her new position.
Expropriation is a complex process that requires exceptional tact. It is a process that cannot be done by cutting corners. My region, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, felt this very strongly in recent years.
I am thinking of the Osisko project in Malartic in the early 2010s. In a church in 2006, the Osisko company presented an ambitious plan for a larger open-pit mine. It was the beginning of a process that would lead to the relocation of 205 residences, and it was not an easy process. In fact, my father served on the transitional committee, acting as a mediator in the process.
Compensation began three years later. However, there were many challenges. The negotiated settlement strategies caused a great deal of stress for many of the citizens affected. Relocation began even before the project was approved by Quebec's Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement.
For many of the municipality's citizens, this was very traumatic.
Mr. Speaker, could you ask people in the room to shout more quietly? I know it is directed at someone in particular, but it is loud.