Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to present a petition with respect to the federal lands in Durham Region.
The signatories to this petition note that these federal lands encompass class 1 farmland and the vital watersheds of the Oak Ridges Moraine. They further note that it has been the expressed intention of successive Liberal and Conservative governments to pave over these lands and build an airport.
The petitioners call upon the House to rescind all plans for an airport and non-agricultural uses of these federal lands, and to act instead to preserve the watersheds and the agricultural land of this irreplaceable natural resource for the long-term benefit of all Canadians.