Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I am concerned about the Northwest Transport Company Limited barge that spilled over 12,000 litres of diesel fuel into the Mackenzie River on August 26 as well, this is a serious matter to me and my constituents since we live down the river from that spill, and the communities of Jean Marie River, Fort Simpson, and Wrigley. Mr. Speaker, the short term damage to the environment in these particular cases is unknown to me at this time. Hopefully, there will not be any adverse long term damage from this spill. Mr. Speaker, this accident could clearly be much worse since the barge was carrying over 830,000 litres of diesel. However, this accident clearly illustrates the need for territorial watch strategy to deal with the transport of dangerous goods on waterways throughout the north. Many of our northern communities are located on major waterways. Our
people still rely heavily on the resources from these waterways for food, water, and transportation. The spillage of oil, and other dangerous goods, threaten the delicate ecological balance that exists on many of our rivers and lakes. It is time for this government, and the federal government, to initiate a review of the current policies dealing with environmental accidents. The development of a comprehensive policy, or strategy, for the transportation of dangerous goods on waterways throughout the Northwest Territories should be a priority. This strategy should be developed in close consultation with all effected communities, and should include a review of current regulations to insure that they are strong enough to minimize the possibility of accidents, to develop an emergency response action plan to deal with environmental accidents in an efficient and effective manner. In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the honourable Member from Deh Cho for his prompt response to the spill on Mackenzie River. I am sure that the actions of this Member, and the Members of the government at that time helped to minimize the effect of the potentially dangerous and tragic situation. Mahsi Cho.