Mike Scott

[Aboriginal Affairs, November 24th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, a long time ago in a place far away political leaders decided that people should be divided and segregated so that some lived under one set of laws and the rest lived under another very different set of laws.

The world condemned the decision. The world said it was wrong to divide people on the basis of skin colour, ethnicity and language. The world said such state sponsored segregation was unacceptable and if we engage in it we do not have democracy.

Now, years later, the federal government gives us the Nisga'a treaty in British Columbia which proposes exactly the same segregationist ideas. The Nisga'a government is given supreme law making authority in at least 14 different areas, laws that will take precedence over federal and provincial laws but which will apply only to Nisga'a people. If you are not Nisga'a you cannot participate in this government even if you live in a Nisga'a community, are married to a Nisga'a person and have Nisga'a children.

All Canadians should be deeply concerned because this government proposes to sign similar agreements right across Canada that will entrench segregation as a major—

[Marine Conservation Areas Act, November 2nd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I get from the member's intervention the notion that if we do not support this kind of heavy handed interventionist legislation we are somehow not patriots.

If we are truly looking to keep Canada united and strong, the federal government has to back off. If the federal government does not do that, we will lose Canada.

[Marine Conservation Areas Act, November 2nd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the people in my riding are the best ones to know what the environmental concerns in that area of British Columbia are and they are the best ones to deal with it. I find it offensive to hear members on the other side suggesting they are not capable, not to be trusted and that this must be done from Ottawa.

Does the hon. member not agree that the Liberals caved in when it came to cleaning up the litter, the refuse and the pollution from the American military installations around Canada? Does he not agree they have completely failed to perform on their commitment to clean up the Sydney tar ponds? Should they not at least clean up their own act before they start to pretend they can dictate to the rest of Canada what our environmental legislation should look like?

[Marine Conservation Areas Act, November 2nd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I want to ask my colleague from the Bloc about the inference in the Liberal member's intervention.

Is it that the provinces are not to be trusted, that the people in those provinces are not to be trusted with their own environmental concerns, and that the only way we can have proper environmental legislation is for it to come from Ottawa? Does the hon. member agree that this is one of the areas that starts to build walls between people in Canada rather than unite Canada?

[Marine Conservation Areas Act, November 2nd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I am genuine when I say butt out and I am genuine when I say I do not think as a British Columbian that I should be involved in dictating to Ontario, Quebec or Nova Scotia how they should handle their environmental concerns and problems.

The member is quite right. There is a very venal government in British Columbia. If it makes mistakes, it is up to the people of British Columbia to rein it in and correct it. I am confident they will do that.

In the meantime, we do not need mother Ottawa complicating the situation, intruding, intervening and dictating what should happen to B.C.'s environment.

[Marine Conservation Areas Act, November 2nd, 1998]

I see that blowhard from Vancouver—

[Marine Conservation Areas Act, November 2nd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her question. I will try to explain what happened. The federal government decided it wanted to create a national park. It asked the province for permission to do that and the province agreed to do so provided there was consultation.

There was a small degree of consultation. It was not widespread by any means. As a result of that consultation a number of very serious promises were made on the part of the federal government. There was a $38 million fund to be established to assist in the transition to a different economy. Promises were made with regard to assisting the community in transforming from a resource based economy to a tourist based economy.

The federal government has not kept its word on any of that. It has not kept the bargain. The people hanging out to dry are the people who live on South Moresby and Sandspit on the Queen Charlotte Islands—

[Marine Conservation Areas Act, November 2nd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the member across asked me something. I want him to butt out. Do not tell us in northern British Columbia from Ottawa what we can and cannot do with our marine areas. We do not need somebody from the other side of Canada telling us what we can do in our own backyard. If the member would only get that message and understand that it applies to Newfoundland, Quebec and the rest of the country, the country would be a lot better off.

[Marine Conservation Areas Act, November 2nd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, that question is easy to answer. My colleague from Saanich—Gulf Islands said this is a hollow bill. By hollow he meant that it gives the minister a great deal of discretionary power without specifying what that power is going to be used for and without specifying where the marine conservation areas will be, et cetera.

[Marine Conservation Areas Act, November 2nd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, my first concern is that we have this legislation at all. If the member says that provincial governments are retreating, so be it. That is their right. It is not the right of the federal government to override that and say that it will step in and do it.

The provincial governments in this country have jurisdiction over the environment. The Liberal government's philosophy has been for 30 years, and it is what has led us to the brink of breakup in this is country, that we have to have a strong central government, mother Ottawa, dictating to the rest of the country how it will live. I say, frankly, that is not on.

Does the federal government have a role to play within the environment? Absolutely. When it comes to matters of international negotiation, the federal government has a role in concert with the provinces. It also has a role in consultation and agreement with the provinces. Beyond that there is not. The provincial governments have jurisdiction. If the federal government would just butt out and leave matters to the provinces, we would all be a lot better off and the tensions in this country would start to decrease rather than increase.