A lone player from Iqaluit represents the Nunavut area and the territorial team, as indicated in the Arctic Winter Games calendar. The NWT team is made up of six players from the Yellowknife team, which placed first in the trials. I am informed that, according to guidelines for team selection in hockey, there is room for approximately 16 players. Obviously, there is some discretion for the selection of players from these teams which did not place first. It makes me wonder why there was not one player selected from the Coral Harbour team.

Madam Speaker, the Arctic Winter Games were started in the early 1970s as an alternative to national competition for circumpolar athletes, an opportunity to make friends and have fun in the atmosphere of good sportsmanship at somewhat less pressure than that of national competitions. I would like to remind the organizers of the Arctic Winter Games that they have to keep in mind that the spirit and intent of these games -- part of which is to represent all residents of the NWT and, in my view, the spirit and intent of the games -- were not followed when many of the players from the team that came in second place were not selected for the territorial team. I will be pursuing this matter with the Minister responsible...(Microphone turned off)...during question period.

---Applause