Mr. Speaker, recently, applications for licences to fish turbot have been made to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans on behalf of Inuit throughout the Baffin region. Mr. Speaker, my constituents and others in the Baffin are seeking rights to catch turbot in what is called area "0," which includes waters in Davis Strait which are next to the communities in which we live.

Our constituents face crippling costs of living, high population growth and high unemployment. They were hit very hard by the damage to the seal industry done by Greenpeace and the animal rights movement in Europe. This has unfortunately caused many of our people to lose hope. The damage done by the animal rights movement has been very depressing for many of our able-bodied citizens.

Unfortunately, apart from opportunities like this in Renewable Resources, there are too few opportunities for employment in the private sector in our region. We are optimistic that the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans will grant a quota to Inuit living next to these valuable resources, since article 15 of the Inuit land claims agreement requires that the Government of Canada give special consideration to the principles of ..adjacency and economic dependence of Nunavut communities' in allocating commercial fishing licences. These are our fish in our waters and we deserve our fair share of these resources to provide employment as an alternative to depending on government.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank my fellow Baffin MLAs -- Mr. Picco, Mr. Evaloarjuk, Mr. Barnabas and the Honourable Goo Arlooktoo -- for supporting these applications; the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board and the wildlife federation for the support for these applications. Mr. Speaker, I am seeking unanimous consent to conclude my statement.