Herb Dhaliwal

[Fisheries, November 5th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, it is pretty obvious that if the hon. member would put his questions clearly we would know who he was talking about. His question was so murky that nobody understood what he was talking about.

If he is talking about the aboriginal fishery, the hon. member clearly knows that we have set up a federal representative. They are talking to him. The only solution we have heard from members of the Conservative Party is to go back and use the notwithstanding clause. That is the most ridiculous thing I have heard. They should go back and learn that we cannot do that.

[Fisheries, November 1st, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the opposition party we do have a plan. We have a federal representative.

If the hon. member would look at what is happening in Atlantic Canada, it is working. We have people talking. We are talking about community based solutions.

I am happy to announce today that the two bands which were allowed to fish up to October 31 have agreed to pull all of their traps and fully abide by a regulated fishery.

[Fisheries, October 22nd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, if the hon. member is interested in conservation he should be congratulating the Minister of the Environment because he has taken a lead role throughout his term by putting conservation as the priority, our government position, and we followed that through.

As far as commercial fishermen, I have said in the House before that the long term solution will not be at the expense of our traditional commercial fishermen and their families. This is a solution that we all have to sit down and negotiate, and that is exactly what we are doing through dialogue and co-operation.

[Aboriginal Affairs, October 22nd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, this was the exact argument used by members of the Reform Party to keep the Sikhs out of the RCMP. They said that they did not want the regulations to change and that they did not want turbanned Sikhs in the RCMP. Members of that party stood for that and they are using the same argument as they did before. They should be ashamed of themselves.

[Aboriginal Affairs, October 22nd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, our position has been very clear from day one.

We have a supreme court judgment. We will make sure that we live within the spirit of that judgment. We have already recognized that treaty right. We are now making sure we have dialogue and co-operation.

The Reform Party of course has a different position from the other parties in the House. Since 1993 it has voted against every major aboriginal initiative in the House and as usual it is carrying on as it always has.

[Fisheries, October 22nd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, obviously the member and his party have not been listening. We put together both a short term and long term plan. We have a federal representative who is now talking to the groups.

The only plan the Conservatives have is to use the notwithstanding clause. They do not even recognize that in this case we cannot use the notwithstanding clause. That is the only solution coming out of the Conservative Party.

[Fisheries, October 22nd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, conservation is our number one priority and we operate and manage the fishery on that basis. That is exactly what we are doing out there.

I have said from day one that we will have a regulated fishery. We have a regulated fishery that we enforcing to ensure that we have conservation.

I have been in contact with all the groups. We now have a federal representative out there speaking to the commercial industries and the aboriginal communities and working to have a practical arrangement. That is exactly what we are doing.

[Fisheries, October 21st, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, we are regulating the fishery at this time. Under the aboriginal fishing strategy we do have native fishing at times, when the commercial fisheries are not in place, through their food fisheries. We have those but we have a regular fishery.

There is one thing I want to make clear on the treaty right, that the long term solution in terms of the treaty right will not be at the expense of traditional commercial fishermen or their families. I want to make that clear. This is a long term solution that we all have to work with.

[Fisheries, October 21st, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, we have a federal representative who is trying to create certainty. If the hon. member clearly wants certainty, then he should be voting for the Nisga'a agreement because that is what will create certainty. Everybody will know what the rules are.

[Fisheries, October 21st, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, just as in the House the Reform represents a minority view on Nisga'a, across Canada it also represents a minority view on Nisga'a.

Reform has been against every aboriginal initiative that has come forward in the House. Canadians know exactly what Reform stands for. That is why it is moving below 10%.