Mr. Speaker, for one thing we are not trying to create any enemies in this fight to get some economic benefits from development. There is really virtually no comparison with the scenario that the Member draws. In the fur industry, we had a very real enemy that was diametrically opposed to the harvesting of wild life. The Greenpeace initially lead the charge as well as the international group for animal welfare and other more ultra right wing animal rights activists. These people who had a budget in the millions of dollars were internationally organized and successfully got on side the majority of governments in the European countries. We have had the concerted effort on our part with the Canadian government, Government of the Northwest Territories, national Aboriginal groups, people in support of the fur industry, manufacturers working on our side as well as, support groups in Europe in order to change the trend that was set back in the '80s. In the case of the diamond industry, Mr. Speaker I believe we are not trying to create enemies. We are trying to bridge a gap in the different perception between the federal government and ourselves and BHP in a co-economical way beneficially for Canada and the north to maximize every opportunity we can to substantiate and deliver benefits to Canada and to the Northwest Territories in the first instance. There is a very categorical difference between the two and I would say that this government has tried to take a systematic approach in our lobby to ensure that BHP is on side, that Diavik is on side, and that the federal government the respective Ministers are also on side to agree that Canada should recognize that it is now part of an elite club globally. That is, Canada is now one of the few diamond producing countries in the world and as other producing countries have done, Canada has an obligation and a duty to all Canadians

and in particular to northerners to insist that maximum economic benefits should flow to the people most affected and certainly at least to the people of Canada. Thank you.,