Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, in Fort Smith, there was a very informative community meeting held with people from a number of communities as well as four different jurisdictions: British Columbia, Alberta, the federal government, and, of course, the Northwest Territories. The issue had to deal with water and the fact that the western Arctic is the ultimate downstream jurisdiction, affected directly by the decisions of our neighbours in British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. It was very clear that there was a significant impact by what is happening with the Bennett Dam. In addition, we found out there were record high snow falls and rainfalls last year.
To me, as an MLA, one of the biggest concerns was the very clear lack of coordination among the jurisdictions. When we got in that room for the meeting, it was the first time some of those officials had seen each other from the different jurisdictions or talked to each other, even though they are directly involved in the same kind of work in measuring and evaluating the same type of water systems. I am hoping that out of this meeting will come a method that we can have coordination of information so that there is warning of any changes to the river systems. I am hoping that the Minister for RWED will be able to work with his officials to push the other jurisdictions to develop a daily working relationship. In the long term, at the political level, we have to continue to pressure the British Columbia government to sign the MacKenzie River Basin Master Agreement. The GNWT has signed it, as has Alberta, and it needs B.C.'s signature so that we can move ahead on these critical issues related to water and the affect that they have throughout the land. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.