“The government should listen. Just repeat after me: private property rights. When will the government make good on its empty promises? I want property rights to be protected. Why won't the government give us concrete action?”
What they said. What they meant.
Plain-language translations from the House of Commons.
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The House debated the impact on private property of the legal uncertainty created by the Cowichan Tribes v Canada court decision. Conservatives accused the Liberals of failing to swiftly and robustly appeal the ruling, contributing to public anxiety and economic disruption in B.C. Liberals argued they have taken appropriate steps to defend private property rights and accused Conservatives of sowing misinformation. Much of this debate was taken up by efforts to clarify and distinguish the positions of the two main parties on the issue, rather than concretely advancing the topic.
“Liberals keep dodging my real question. They misled Canadians. I want a direct answer on extinguishment. Stop giving fake impressions. Are the Liberals just creating an illusion? Stop hiding behind vague words.”
“A judge said messing with private property rights would hurt reconciliation. The government is making it worse. We need to work together to fix this.”
“I want the government to clearly support private property rights. The government has been silent. People are worried. Businesses are hurting. The government should stop avoiding the question and give a clear answer.”
“I don't want to talk about property rights. I want to bring up cases from a long time ago to distract from the real issues people are worried about now.”
“You screwed up. You were late. You tied lawyers' hands. And now you say nothing.”
“I want to extend the deadline for this study. This issue is complex and important. We should have more time to discuss it.”
“I want this to pass quickly. People in my riding are worried. The government should work with us on a solution now.”
“That speech was great. The government says it supports property rights. But they already stopped arguing for those rights in 2018. How can the government win in court with an argument it didn't use before?”
“The government has a choice. They could say they made a mistake in 2018. Or they could say they still support the 2018 directive. Either way, Canadians lose. Richmond pushed to keep the fee simple argument in the appeal. Thank you to Richmond. Shame on the government.”
“I want people to stop worrying about private property. The government wants to protect private property. We are appealing the court decision that caused uncertainty. The agreement with Musqueam does not affect private property. Other agreements did not affect private property. We will keep negotiating and protecting property rights.”
“I want the government to stop saying Conservatives are fearmongering about property rights. We never said Cowichan band would kick people off their land. We said the decision creates uncertainty in the market. That's true. British Columbia had to step in. The government stopped arguing for fee simple property. The government itself caused this uncertainty.”
“I don't like that Conservatives talk about aboriginal law. I taught it. I want the government to negotiate with indigenous nations after court cases, to protect Canadians' interests carefully.”
“Yes, we should definitely have a committee look at this. Doesn't matter which one.”
“I don't want to say what I think about a committee. I want us to do nothing and wait for the courts instead.”
“I want people to be scared of natives taking their land. I want to push back against property rights.”
“I want people to be calm about natives taking their land. I say natives don't want anything more than their 'fair share'. I want natives to be inside the nation-wide system.”
“You can't use that argument in court. The government lost its chance. The court took away parts of the Land Title Act. Private property rights in B.C. are undermined. The government can't win with this.”
“You think you have all the answers about Indigenous rights? Maybe your party should try being an intervenor in court. But the Supreme Court probably wouldn't let you, because they listen to rational arguments, not irresponsible political ones like yours.”
“I will say some bad things about that court decision. Then I will tell you about private property rights. You should not worry. We are appealing the decision. We work on reconciliation too.”