“I don't want people to worry about losing their land. The government will protect private property. We disagree with the court. We already appealed in September. No agreement has ever made Canadians lose their private land.”
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Oral Questions
Indigenous Affairs
A debate about a court case related to Aboriginal title and private property rights. The B.C. Supreme Court's Cowichan decision caused concern and the federal government appealed it, claiming to defend private property rights. The Conservatives accused the Liberals of not properly defending property rights in the original case, while the Liberals insisted they have always and will always protect private property.
“I object. You have your facts wrong. Since 2017 we in the government have consistently asked the court to let private landowners know what's going on. We're backing the Montrose application to respect property owners' rights too. It's not either/or. We can do reconciliation and protect property rights. Wait for our appeal.”
“I'm going to keep saying property rights are very important. And that's why we've gone to court to appeal the decision. We'll keep arguing that we need to balance property rights and reconciliation. But the details should stay in the courts, not here on the floor of the House of Commons.”