Mr. Speaker, I wish to express both my unhappiness and disappointment regarding an article which has been published in the Friday, May 3rd, edition of Nunatsiaq News in which the director of business development for NTI, Tagak Curley, is reported to have attributed to me statements which were never made and others which have been distorted beyond recognition.
If the comments do accurately reflect what Mr. Curley has said, I must regrettably conclude that he has done a disservice to me and he has mislead the people of the Nunavut region at a time when we can't afford to be divided.
At no time have I suggested that I am under pressure from anyone to delay the implementation of article 24 of the Nunavut final agreement. Further, I have never suggested to anyone that there are Cabinet Ministers who opposed the implementation of article 24. To imply that this is the case, does nothing to advance the resolution of the issue, which troubles me greatly, as a considerable amount of work has been dedicated to deciding on how we can proceed, so we not only ensure continued compliance with article 24, but do so in a way which advances the principles contemplated by article 24.
The one point that Mr. Curley and I do agree upon, is that there is a great need for certainty regarding the implementation of article 24. A good place to start would be for Mr. Curley to listen closely in the future so that when he chooses to speak for me, which I would prefer that he not do, he can do so with a modest degree of accuracy.
--- Applause