The National Farmers Union (NFU) is asking the P.E.I. government to implement mandatory education for all legislative members on the Lands Protection Act.
The NFU has delivered a letter to Premier Dennis King, Opposition Leader Peter-Bevan Baker and interim Liberal Leader Robert Mitchell.
The letter implies there is a lack of knowledge of the act on the part of MLAs.
Douglas Campbell, district director of the NFU, alleges past government actions indicate some of the crisis in land ownership is the result of decision-makers’ ignorance of the intent of the act.
“The spirit and intent of the law of the Lands Protection Act has been consistently violated to the point that we are in a crisis situation,’’ Campbell said. “If not immediately acted upon by government, this will quickly deliver us to a point of no return.’’
Campbell said Islanders have the constitutional right to determine land ownership, and all MLAs must be committed to defend that right. MLAs must have the knowledge of the act in order to implement the spirit and intent of the law and to close the loopholes.
The act was passed in 1982 to ensure the resource remains in the hands of Islanders rather than become a commodity of foreign and corporate ownership.
