Andy Mitchell

[Saguenay—St. Lawrence Marine Park Act, November 21st, 1997]

moved that the bill be read the third time and passed.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have an opportunity to once again address the House on this important piece of legislation.

First, let me thank all the members of the House for their support of this bill on second reading, as well as their support today in expediting the processing of this important piece of legislation.

I would also be remiss if I did not take a moment to thank the members of the standing committee on heritage. They have examined Bill C-7 and gone through an examination clause by clause. I wish to thank the members of the committee who have undertaken that and brought this bill back to the House.

I am thoroughly convinced and I know that members as they have examined this bill understand that it is a critical step, a very important step in protecting a very critical ecosystem that is in existence at the confluence of the Saguenay and St. Lawrence rivers.

As we have seen through the process both in the development of this piece of legislation in terms of the co-operation of the various partners, the various levels of government, today we are demonstrating with the passage of this bill a good level of co-operation between the federal and provincial governments where we see a bill where we have an important common objective of respecting and protecting an important ecosystem.

We see a good example of our ability to work together for the good of all Canadians.

However, it is also important to remember that the government cannot, in and of itself, take total credit for this. The members of the local community have come forward. It was their original initiative to make this marine conservation area become a reality. All the various stakeholders and interests in that area have worked hard with government to structure this marine park in a way that works not only to protect the ecosystem in that area but works to enhance the communities there and the economy is there.

This is a good example of a grassroots, community based initiative and one that can and should be replicated as we move forward on other initiatives.

All Canadians can be proud as stewards of their marine environment. This legislation will give us the opportunity, the tools and the structure we need in this particular area to make sure that the protection of the ecosystem takes place. In this case particularly in terms of the beluga whale.

Marine ecosystems are dynamic, three dimensional and ever changing and their stewardship requires the collective action and goodwill of all stakeholders. As I mentioned earlier, we are seeing this with this legislation.

As members know, a big part of the mandate of Parks Canada is stewardship. We are required, as an organization on behalf of all Canadians from coast to coast, to not only ensure that our special places, be they marine conservation areas, national parks or historic sites, are available for Canadians today but we have a very important responsibility to make sure that those special places remain unimpaired for the enjoyment and use of future generations.

We have that responsibility to our children and to our grandchildren, as we have the responsibility to take what was passed to us by the previous generation, our parents and grandparents, to ensure that their wise decisions in protecting national parks from the previous century as we have moved through the 20th century, are continued and that we continue with that legacy and that stewardship.

The concept of marine conservation areas which is a relatively new one is going to be part of that process. We are developing a system of marine conservation areas across Canada. We have identified 29 specific ecosystems in all our oceans as well as in our Great Lakes and we are in the process, as we are with this piece of legislation, of protecting those areas.

I think it is important to note at this time that we are the first country in the world proceeding in this manner. We are the first country that understands and recognizes in a tangible way our obligations to protect our marine ecosystems. Together we will all strive to ensure the sustainability of these critical marine ecosystems.

This legislation and the structure in the park that it is putting in place will provide many opportunities for local residents, community and business interests to derive economic benefits from the establishment of this marine conservation area. Just as we saw co-operation between the various levels of governments, the business community and the community at large to establish this park, so too will we see those types of partnerships come together to make sure that this park has both the protection of the ecosystem as well as the generation of new economic development primarily through tourism in this important area in the province of Quebec.

We welcome the opportunity, as a federal government, to work with those partners and to explore the opportunities as they come forward.

The unprecedented support for this bill in this House demonstrates clearly the common concern that we all share in the protection of our natural and cultural heritage. I am pleased to see that type of support. It represents clearly how deeply Canadians feel about our special places in this country and what type of responsibility and expectations they have towards us, as Parliamentarians, to ensure that we carry out that stewardship in an appropriate way.

We all feel our own places are special. Today we are able to protect a particular area, the Saguenay—St. Lawrence. I am pleased to speak at third reading to see the establishment of the Saguenay—St. Lawrence marine park.

I urge my colleagues to continue to support this legislation and to provide support for this bill at third reading.

[Questions On The Order Paper, November 21st, 1997]

(a) The proposed Pacific Rim national park lies within areas currently subject to comprehensive land claim, or treaty settlement, negotiations. Where proposed national parks are affected by aboriginal claims, government policy precludes proclamation of these parks until the claims are settled. Pending settlement of these claims, however, such parks may be proclaimed as national park reserves. This allows the proposed park area to be administered in the interim pursuant to the National Parks Act.

(b) The treaty claims affecting Pacific Rim are currently in negotiation and have no specific timeframe for conclusion. When settlements have been reached, the goverment will move expeditiously to proclaim all three components of the proposed Pacific Rim national park, not just phase 3, as a national park.

[Option Canada, November 21st, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, two years ago during the referendum in Quebec, the citizens of Quebec voted to stay in Canada.

This party has never been able to accept that verdict. They continue to fight a battle of two years ago. They are stuck in the past. They have no vision for the future and this clearly demonstrates that.

[Option Canada, November 21st, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, this hon. member and hon. members from that party have asked this question over and over again in the House.

The Minister of Canadian Heritage has provided clear and concise explanations. If the hon. member has something new to add, I suggest that she bring it forward in the House today.

[Saguenay—St. Lawrence Marine Park Act, November 21st, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to move a technical amendment. Essentially we are making sure that both the French and the English versions are consistent. I move:

That Bill C-7, in the preamble, be amended by replacing, in the French version, line 6 on page 1 with the following:

“flore, ainsi que les ressources naturelles exceptionnel ”

[Saguenay—St. Lawrence Marine Park Act, November 21st, 1997]

moved that the bill be concurred in.

[Parks Canada, November 18th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should know that Parks Canada has regulations that govern those airstrips. Part of those regulations are that emergency landings can be made. This was an emergency landing. It was under the regulations and it was an appropriate use of that airstrip.

Parks Canada follows the law and this was part of following the law.

[Saguenay—St. Lawrence Marine Park Act, November 4th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows from the work we have done together in the House, tourism as an economic generator is important for the area from which I come. In my riding of Parry Sound—Muskoka almost 50% of the jobs depend on tourism.

Obviously the establishment of the marine park in and by itself will help to attract individuals to that part of the country. In so doing it will create economic activity which will assist the population as a whole. It will help with job creation. It will help the small business community and it will help to build tourism.

This federal government has made tourism one of its priorities. We have established the Canadian Tourism Commission which works with partners such as provincial governments and tourism associations to help develop and market particular areas. I am sure there will be opportunities through that. There is also a regional development agency which operates in the province of Quebec which looks for partners from the local community and from the provincial government.

I am sure that with the establishment of this park we will see that type of activity take place, while always remembering the other side of that balance which is to ensure we do it in a way which protects the ecosystem and makes sure it will be there for future generations of Canadians.

[Saguenay—St. Lawrence Marine Park Act, November 4th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member across, the critic responsible for heritage and Parks Canada. From discussions with him I know he has a deep commitment to our national parks system and to the various other things I have talked about in terms of protecting our special places.

I am going to get to the specific point on the airstrip in a second. However, speaking in general on the original comments made, it goes back to what I said in my speech about the fact that there are two major components that the national parks system is trying to accomplish.

Yes, parks are established for the use of Canadians and we encourage that use. Over the past 100 years we have seen the traditional use built up, but there is another very important component to our mandate. That is our obligation to pass those special places on to future generations unimpaired. That is an important mandate and stewardship which we must ensure is fulfilled. It means that we need to find a balance between the uses that are allowed today and the uses which will ensure those facilities will be there in the future. Many of the situations the member brought forward have to do with that balance.

He mentioned cost justification and wanting to get the information. I will undertake to get that information to the member as quickly as possible.

[Saguenay—St. Lawrence Marine Park Act, November 4th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to have the opportunity as the Secretary of State for Parks to address this important piece of legislation.

This is my first opportunity as secretary to have legislation in this House. I believe that when this is passed it will form an important step, an important part of what we are trying to do in this country to protect our special places.

Bill C-7, the establishment of this park, represents some important initiatives, some important achievements. This is the first time ever that we will have a federal-provincial marine park established in legislation and I think that is a good milestone. It is a good accomplishment and it is something excellent that this House is moving toward.

It is moving on a broader sense to completing and working on what we hope to have one day, a national group or national plan of marine conservation areas. We recently published some material. We indicated there are some 29 specific marine ecosystems, marine environments that we want to protect and this represents one of the steps along that way.

I think it is an important step in protecting a very critical ecosystem in that part of the country where the St. Lawrence and the Saguenay meet and in particular, as some other members have mentioned, the protection of the beluga whale.

As was mentioned by the previous speaker, it is a good example of this government's working with its provincial counterparts to achieve some important objectives in this country.

As I said, this represents our achieving some very broad principles which we are dedicated to as a government. We believe it is important that we work toward protecting our built and natural heritage, that we ensure that we can pass on, unimpaired, to future generations these special places we have in Canada. This legislation is one step toward that important objective.

What we will be doing is honouring what happened over 100 years ago when people had the foresight to establish the first national park in Banff. We look back to that over 100 years ago and we see how much foresight those people had when they undertook that.

I hope with the actions we are taking in this House today that 100 years from now generations will be able to look back to us and say that we shared the same foresight as the people did over 100 years ago who first began the national parks in western Canada.

It is important to note as well that we are doing this, we are providing this protection as a public trust in this country under a public mandate and to be answerable for all Canadians from coast to coast.

Bill C-7, which establishes this marine park, is one part of an overall strategy that we are undertaking as a government, that we are undertaking as a nation, to protect our special places. We undertake that in a large number of ways.

As I alluded, we have an extensive national park system. Indeed today we have 38 national parks. We also protect our national historic sites. Through the Historic Sites and Monuments Board we have designated over 700 important areas in Canada as national historic sites. Parks Canada operates directly almost 130 of them. We are able to protect and to ensure our heritage for future generations.

In addition, a number of important canals and waterways are recognized as historic and come under the mandate of Parks Canada, waterways such as the Chambly Canal in Quebec, the Rideau Canada in Ontario and the Trent-Severn Waterway near my own home riding of Parry Sound—Muskoka.

We have talked about the legislation in terms of co-operation with the provinces. We also operate with the provinces the Canadian heritage river system. We have an opportunity to work with our provincial counterparts on important waterways within Canada that have been nominated by the provinces that have come forward to the federal government. Between those nominated and those designated we have almost 30 such waterways in Canada.

We also work to protect our national heritage railways stations so that a very important part of our Canadian heritage, our Canadian history, will be maintained for future generations. Parks Canada works with other government departments to protect the built heritage already contained within the federal government.

I am pleased as the Secretary of State for Parks to have the opportunity to pursue a number of policies that will help us continue to do those types of things in the future and continue to protect those special places.

One commitment we have made is one that I believe is shared as a good objective by most Canadians. I am referring to the expansion of our national parks system. As I mentioned earlier we have 38 national parks. We have designated 39 specific geographic areas in Canada that we would like to see a park represented within. We have 38 parks and we are represented in 24 of them.

We are working actively in co-operation with provincial government, with territorial governments, with first nations, with other aboriginal groups and with stakeholders to expand the park system so that early in the next century we will be able to say we are represented with a national park in all 39 regions.

Good progress has been made. Within the last two years we have set aside close to 60,000 square kilometres for protection. That is important progress. I am pleased we have been able to accomplish it.

Later in this session I hope to be able to table amendments to the National Parks Act which will provide a legislative framework to achieve these accomplishments even more efficiently and with a streamlined process that will allow us to provide protection in an orderly fashion.

In terms of the work we are doing in protecting our special places, we are committed to undertake an ecological review of existing parks. We will be proceeding with that objective in the near future. It is important not only to look at expanding the parks system but to make sure those parks within the framework right now, the ones that exist today, are being correctly managed and correctly protected.

In terms of protecting our special places we announced in the 1996 budget the movement to a Parks Canada agency. This will be a public body reporting directly to the minister and accountable to parliament. It will help to provide new organizational, financial and human resources tools to the employees of Parks Canada. It will allow us to apply our resources such that we can go even further in protecting our special places.

We hope to build on Bill C-7, on the establishment of the Saguenay—St. Lawrence marine park. We have held extensive consultations with Canadians to move forward with comprehensive legislation within which other marine conservation areas can be established.

Our government has aggressive objectives that we hope to put in place over the next several months so that we as a nation, as Canadians, can recognize the specialness, the uniqueness of what we have. When we had the opportunity to travel around the country we learned very quickly that we have some of the most beautiful places in the world right here in Canada. Part of our parks system is to ensure those special places are not only for the enjoyment of this generation of Canadians. The responsibility we intend to live up to is to ensure those special places are there unimpaired for future generations to enjoy.

That is our dual mandate. That is what we wish to accomplish and that is why we are bringing forward this type of legislation and the other tools I mentioned that will give us the ability to protect those areas for today as well as for the future.

Some important principles in establishing this park with Bill C-7 can be applied as we move forward in the future. This is the product of an agreement between different levels of government. It is important to see that kind of co-operation. We in Parks Canada ensure that we work with our partners, with the provincial and territorial governments, with the first nations, aboriginal groups and stakeholders, to make sure we have a consensus and an understanding of where we want to go.

In my time as a secretary of state and in talking to Canadians from coast to coast to coast I have noticed a deep desire among Canadians to see us move forward with these programs, to see us move forward with the protection of our special places.

The establishment of this park and the establishment of other parks and other historic sites should represent an expression of public will and not government working in isolation. That is why we took so much time, and I think appropriately so, on the consultative process. We wanted to make sure various components within the community, such as the public at large, the commercial components or the business components, understood, appreciated and bought into the types of objectives we were trying to achieve.

The bill helps to protect a very important and fragile marine ecosystem in that part of the country. That is the genesis of the bill. That is why we have moved forward. That is why we have co-operation between governments and the buy in of the public. They see the importance of protecting the ecosystem for conservation purposes and for the benefit of future and present Canadians.

As we operate our existing parks and historic sites, and as we move forward to create more, it is important to ensure that we have an opportunity through these facilities to educate Canadians; that we have an opportunity to provide them with recreational opportunities; and that we an opportunity to allow Canadians to celebrate the specialness of our unique land and to celebrate the specialness of what we are. That is important and that is part of what we do.

In conclusion, I urge the House to support the legislation, to allow it to move forward, to be passed and to come into law so we will have accomplished one more important step in protecting the nation's special places.