SF 3406

as introduced - 80th Legislature (1997 - 1998) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                             A resolution
  1.2             memorializing the United States government to resolve 
  1.3             certain differences between the Province of Ontario 
  1.4             and the State of Minnesota. 
  1.5      
  1.6      WHEREAS, approximately three years ago the Provincial 
  1.7   Government of Ontario saw fit to impose restrictions on the 
  1.8   taking of fish from Canadian waters of Rainy Lake by Americans 
  1.9   staying in American resorts; and 
  1.10     WHEREAS, the Province has now imposed these same 
  1.11  regulations on Americans fishing in Lake of the Woods; and 
  1.12     WHEREAS, the Jay Treaty of 1794, the Webster-Ashburton 
  1.13  Treaty of 1842, and the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 (commonly 
  1.14  called the Roote-Bryce Treaty) provide for open and free access 
  1.15  to the boundary waters between our two great nations; and 
  1.16     WHEREAS, in recent years, the citizens of the State of 
  1.17  Minnesota and the citizens of the Providence of Ontario have 
  1.18  been engaged in a variety of disagreements that are related to 
  1.19  their common frontier, the boundary waters, and that are 
  1.20  detrimental to the well-being of the citizens of each nation and 
  1.21  for which resolution is urgently desired; and 
  1.22     WHEREAS, little action by the United States government has 
  1.23  occurred attempting to bring a satisfactory settlement to this 
  1.24  dispute; and 
  1.25     WHEREAS, that lack of action and little understanding of 
  2.1   the issue has brought forth a constitutional amendment calling 
  2.2   for the secession of Minnesota's Northwest Angle; and 
  2.3      WHEREAS, the people of our two great nations have enjoyed 
  2.4   great friendly relationships and shared economic and 
  2.5   recreational opportunities; NOW, THEREFORE, 
  2.6      BE IT RESOLVED by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota 
  2.7   that the President and the Congress of the United States are 
  2.8   urged to resolve the differences that exist between the Province 
  2.9   of Ontario and the State of Minnesota relating to the taking of 
  2.10  fish in Canadian boundary waters by Americans staying in 
  2.11  American resorts and to bring about a speedy solution that 
  2.12  provides recreational and economic opportunities for the 
  2.13  citizens of either nation. 
  2.14     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of State of the 
  2.15  State of Minnesota is directed to prepare copies of this 
  2.16  memorial and transmit them to the President of the United 
  2.17  States, the United States Secretary of State, the President and 
  2.18  the Secretary of the United States Senate, the Speaker and the 
  2.19  Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, and 
  2.20  Minnesota's Senators and Representatives in Congress.