Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will ask my question to the Minister of Renewable Resources. In regard to the question to the Minister of Renewable Resources about testing procedures used in sampling dioxins and furans in fish as part of efforts to monitor water quality. I am sure that the Minister is aware that during the environmental assessment panel review of the ALPAC proposal way back in December, 1989, data which showed high levels of dioxins and furans in the liver of fish from the Wapiti River were with held by the Alberta Forestry Minister. Instead, the samples, at that time, were reanalyzed and only the contaminant levels in the fish fillets were reported to the panel. When they were criticized about this, Mr. Speaker, the Alberta Forestry and Environment Ministers claimed that they were only interested in testing the edible portions of the fish.
Mr. Speaker, I am sure that you are aware that the aboriginal people in the Northwest Territories have long considered the liver of the fish as a delicacy, and since the Minister indicated last week that there were some furans and dioxins in the burbot liver of the fish samples taken from Chitty Lake and Leland Lake, I would like to know: Will the Minister direct his department officials to conduct a review, which can be tabled in this House, of all sampling methods used in the various water quality monitoring programs undertaken by Alberta, the federal government and the Northwest Territories? Thank you.