Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was looking forward to today's sitting and preparing a statement dealing with a matter of concern to myself and my constituents. However, Mr. Speaker, given the theme of our one day sitting, national unity, not wanting to detract from that very important issue, and also the tragedy this past weekend, I have elected today instead to use my statement to send my heartfelt sympathy and condolences to our colleague and friend from Keewatin Central. None of us knows when heartbreak and grief may come our way through a tragedy such as a loss of a child. As a parent I believe that the loss of a child in the prime of their life is one of the most painful circumstances that one could be expected to endure. It is so final and no amount of effort, reasoning or longing can reverse or change it. I hope during the next few days, weeks and months, that John and his family will find comfort in their memories of Ian which will be so vivid at this time, and they also find comfort in knowing that friends who care very much about them are sharing their burden of grief. I want John to be assured today, Mr. Speaker, that he is in our thoughts and our prayers. As this is the last day of our sitting prior to Christmas, I would also like to wish my other colleagues as they travel and have been away from home for extended periods of time a very happy and safe holiday season and Christmas. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to say how profoundly disappointed I am with the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs and their response to our efforts to establish a diamond sorting and valuation facility in the NWT.

The federal government is in the process of dropping the diamond valuation ball squarely on its own foot. I have spoken about the need to locate a diamond valuation and sorting plant in Yellowknife. It means jobs, money and renewed prosperity for the city.

Mr. Speaker, Yellowknife is in trouble. We have lost 800 government jobs in recent years. Plummeting gold prices have rendered our gold mines unprofitable and layoffs have already started. We are in the middle of a terrible economic downturn. Now our potential salvation is bungled by Ottawa.

Recently the City of Yellowknife assembled a diamond task force of 20 people to lobby for value-added benefits from the diamond industry. I had hoped to come today with news from my task force meeting last Friday, but instead I can only report how we were profoundly insulted by federal officials. Joe Lazarovich is Department of Indian and Northern Affairs is director of mineral and resources. He is the person who advises the Minister on northern diamond mining industry and the rewriting of the mining regulations. A month ago, the Yellowknife task force set up a meeting with Mr. Lazarovich, set up for last Friday. He came to town for the geoscience forum and on Thursday he made his speech and then left town without warning, presumably under the instructions of his bosses in DIAND.

We are appalled to have been treated so poorly on so important an issue, Mr. Speaker. We are also angry the feds appear to be back peddling now on issues relating to BHP's mine that should have been resolved a long time ago. We are now learning that Ottawa made a mistake. Under international trade agreements, it cannot insist the sorting and valuation plant even be built in Canada, let alone the Northwest Territories. This does a great disservice to all Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This does a great disservice to all Canadians, this move. It has the potential to diminish Canadian royalties and reduce jobs in Canada that would normally be available in the value-added industries like detailed sorting and valuation.

DIAND's Minister Jane Stewart department is responsible for northern development and as such, she is responsible to ensure we maximize our economic opportunities. Issues of interprovincial trade and NAFTA should have been flagged by the department a long time ago and agreements worked out with BHP and Dia Met before their permits were issued. As a matter of fact, this government, the Government of the NWT and this Cabinet raised the whole issue of diamond valuation and economic benefits with the federal government a long time ago, during discussions of what conditions companies would have to meet, before licenses would be issued.

The federal government did not pay any attention to our concerns and went ahead and issued licences without ensuring these economic issues were addressed. Now they realize they made a mistake. One, northerners will have to pay for very dearly.

It is important to note, Mr. Speaker, that the companies, especially BHP, have more than lived up to their obligations and are meeting their stated commitments. It is the feds who are repeatedly letting us down. The NWT stands to produce 10 percent of the world's diamonds, eventually. Ottawa will take $4.4 billion in royalties over 25 years. The NWT will only collect a very small fraction of this. Canada will be exporting jobs and economic development opportunities to other countries. There will be no lasting benefit from the diamond development for Canada, nor the NWT, out of the spin off benefits.

Minister Stewart and her team have to find a way to make sure that any future diamond valuation or sorting centre does stay in Canada and furthermore, that it does stay in the north. It would be helpful if the Minister would bother to have her staff honour their obligations to meet with those commitments are made with, instead of pulling them out, without warning or explanation.

The people of the north deserve better from Ottawa, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

--Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For the last two days the local Internet service providers, the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Ardicom consortium have been meeting at the Explorer to try to iron out concerns and difficulties surrounding the digital network and the role the Internet providers would provide at the community level.

I would like to thank the government for honouring their commitment to, in fact, bring all these people to the table. I think it has been a very fruitful meeting. I managed to attend some of the sessions, both yesterday and today. I can report to this House there was very frank discussion. Though there was, I believe, tempers raised at some points, everybody did stay at the table. There will be a final report with recommendations coming out to the government and to those MLAs who are affected who have constituents that are service providers. So I would hope we could move forward from this very important meeting and that the government will see this as an investment to further develop a strategic plan for delivery of communication related to data base and Internet services across the north for all people.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, if I may ask the liberty to wish all my colleagues and the people of the Northwest Territories in my constituents a very merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year. As well, my own personal heartfelt condolences to the Minister of Finance on the death of his son. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as this is the only opportunity before Christmas, I would like to take this opportunity to wish the people of my riding at Holman, Paulatuk, Sachs and Tuktoyaktuk as well as my colleagues here a safe and joyous holiday season. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, seeing it is our last opportunity to come together in this forum before the Christmas break, I would like to wish everybody here a happy and joyous occasion. I especially wish the Ministers good eating at Christmas. Enjoy your turkey because when we come back in January, I am loaded for bear. Thank you.

--Laughter