Strange protection error

[binarybob0001]

I'm trying to implement a generic N-Dimensional matrix class but I can't to get a pointer to a protected data member. Here's the code cut down considerable.

template <typename NumType, int dim1, int dim2>
class Matrix
{
protected:
 NumType m[dim1][dim2];
};

template <typename NumType, int dim1>
class SquareMatrix : public Matrix<NumType, dim1, dim1>
{
public:
 //Return the minor matrix
 SquareMatrix<NumType, dim1 - 1> Minor(int i, int j) {
  SquareMatrix<NumType, dim1 - 1> ret;
  int *pretm = (int*)&ret.m[0][0]; //compiler hates this
  for (int u = 0; u < dim1; u++)
  {
   for (int v = 0; v < dim1; v++)
   {
    if( (u!=i) && (v!=j) ) //as long as we are not on a row or column of i or j then put the number into next slot of matrix
    {
     *pretm = m[u][v];
     pretm++;
    }
   }
  }
  return ret;
 }
};

template<typename NumType>
class SquareMatrix<NumType, 2> : public Matrix<NumType, 2, 2>
{
public:
//specialized code for 2x2 matrices
};

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
 int arr3[3][3] = { {1, 2, 3},
        {0, 5, 6},
        {0, 8, 9} };

 SquareMatrix<int, 3> m(arr3);
 cout << m.Determinant() << endl; //determinant will call Minor()
 
 return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}

When I try to compile this I get the following errors.
/home/bobby/meta/src/meta.cpp:106: instantiated from `NumType SquareMatrix<NumType, dim1>::Cofactor(int, int) [with NumType = int, int dim1 = 3]'
/home/bobby/meta/src/meta.cpp:116: instantiated from `NumType SquareMatrix<NumType, dim1>:eterminant() [with NumType = int, int dim1 = 3]'
/home/bobby/meta/src/meta.cpp:231: instantiated from here
/home/bobby/meta/src/meta.cpp:35: error: `int Matrix<int, 2, 2>::m[2][2]' is protected
/home/bobby/meta/src/meta.cpp:90: error: within this context

Any ideas about why the compiler considers m to be protected in my Minor function? Everything is fine if I make m public. Thanks.