Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Regarding savings and questions about liabilities, and the overall question of what is being done and comments that were made or motions passed, I believe there was one aspect I do not hear being stated by anyone, either the department or the people from the resource sector in regard to the whole question about environmental protection. There is a whole process in regard to the (inaudible) process, in regard to the whole screening process for environmental protection.
If you are talking about 20,000 ton tanker, it is a little different than talking about bringing a barge. I think because of what happened with the Valdez in Alaska, that this is a real opener for the people, not only in the north, but in Canada that you are dealing with unique conditions from ourselves in regard to what we have seen to date with the resource committee in regard to the hydrographic survey, that has been done. It was done on a minimum sketch of running a few lines.
When I think that it is one area that I do not seem to hear much of. We hear a lot about how all of this development is going to take place, but I do not think we are hearing anything in regard to the whole area of the ERP process or in regard to a call for an environmental screening of this particular project and in that case, you are talking about a process that could be bottled up for a number of years.
I think we have seen it in the Beaufort Sea, in regard to what happened to the process with the oil and gas exploration, and I think that this is something that has to be seriously looked at from the Minister's department and also the report that we receive from the Auditor General in regard, particularly the environmental audit, the whole area in regard to tank farms and oil spills and things like that have to be seriously considered.
I feel there was to be more emphasis made on the protection of the Arctic environment. I think we have heard that, time and time again, especially the disaster that took place with the Valdez in Alaska. I think that the Minister, to date, I have not heard one peep about the environment and the protection of it, yet there are all these grandstands about spending somewhere in the area of $60 to $100 million for projects such as this. I think that is something that has to be looked at.
I ask the Minister, exactly how long does he see an environmental process taking to conclude this process, in regard to the environmental processes that are in place, either federally or through the Nunavut claim? Thank you.