Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a petition that I would like to table in the House today in my capacity as the chairperson of the Subcommittee of Western Caucus for the renaming of the Northwest Territories. That is the capacity in which I have received this petition. Petition 51-13(3) will indicate to Mr. Antoine and Mr. Kakfwi exactly the amount of work that has to be done. I heard both of their speeches here in the House; Mr. Antoine, today, and Mr. Kakfwi's. I would like to read the petition and then indicate the communities where these petitions come from and the numbers.
"In the matter of a petition to the Government of the Northwest Territories, in the matter of a petition to the Government of Canada by the residents of the western portion of the Northwest Territories, we, the undersigned, hereby petition the governments of the Northwest Territories and Canada to maintain the designation Northwest Territories for the Western Arctic after division in 1999. The designation has served the North and western portions of Canada throughout our modern history and carries with it that history and international recognition of which we, as residents of the Northwest Territories, are justly proud.
"Further, we believe that any change to this designation will result in needless expenditure, discord and international isolation. The Northwest Territories is our home, and we want it to remain as such."
These pages contain signatures from residents of Fort Smith, Norman Wells, Hay River, Inuvik, Fort Simpson and, in total, come to 1,637. Further, I would just like to say that it isn't a decided thing yet, and Mr. Kakfwi wants me to say that with the people he has spoken to personally, he has made progress, and we recognize that. Thank you.