"In one year, with the support of this bill, it is possible that there will be no Crown land assets left."

House of Commons Ottawa November 22, 1991. Bill C-3, the Federal Real Property Act: MP Dennis Mills (Broadview-Greenwood) Liberal: "...In my office I read part of Bill C-3, an act respecting the acquisition, administration and disposition of real property by the Government of Canada...I know that all of us were in support of this bill, but as I started reflecting on what is really going on in this bill I became concerned. I think of my own city of Toronto and the way the government has disposed of the Harbourfront lands...and the disposition of the CBC lands. This is a bill that is going to make the developers of every region and every city of Canada ecstatic." 

The Hon. Mac Harb (Ottawa Centre) Liberal: " The hon. member says one year...Where do we start? Everything we stand for as a country is being questioned in the name of deficit reduction. Everything that is going to be sold as a result of the enactment of Bill C-3 will be justified by any minister who is selling something by pointing out that the proceeds will go to the deficit reduction fund. It is a fund that will not kick in until 1996."

MP John Nunziata (York South-Weston) Liberal: "Madam Speaker, I would like to ask a general question about the disposition of publicly owned land or publicly owned assets. We know that the provincial NDP government in Ontario has sold the public interest in the SkyDome. The taxpayers of Ontario had an interest in the SkyDome. It was revealed this week that the proceeds of that particular sale would be used to reduce the deficit. In order to accomodate some fiscal responsibilities that the provincial New Democratic Party self-authored it is selling off public assets---at one seventh of the value, as my friend from Broadview-Greenwood indicates, to deal with a short-term financial problem....Is there anything (in this bill) that would restrict where the money can go after a publicly owned asset is sold?"

Federal properties that were given away: The Paul Martin Federal Building, Windsor, Ontario; the CBC Headquarters on Jarvis Street in Toronto were donated to the National Ballet School of Canada; the Laurier Avenue Bridge and Mackenzie King Bridge that span the Rideau Canal were given to the Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton; 60 acres of Central Experimental Farm land on Carling Avenue were donated to the Ottawa Hospital Corporation.

"In 1995-96, the (National Capital) Commission signed an agreement to sell the Laurier and Mackenzie King Bridges to the Regional Municipality of Ottawa Carleton for the consideration of one dollar." (Report of the NCC, 1995-96 Annual Report, Page 45/111.)  According to a treaty signed by the governments of Great Britain and Canada, the Rideau Canal would always be owned and maintained by the Government of Canada: House of Commons Ottawa June 1, 1950. George Taylor Fulford (Leeds) Liberal: "There was a rather quaint treaty signed between Great Britain and Canada when the canal was turned over to Canada. One of the clauses stated that Canada would maintain the canal system as long as the grass was green and the sky was blue."