Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, the opportunity for the people of the Northwest Territories to give our views on the Calgary Declaration and Canadian unity comes at a unique time. In less than 500 days, this territory will be divided into two. The dreams and aspirations of the people of Nunavut will at long last be fulfilled.
Within this context, the Calgary Declaration and the national unity question becomes opportunity. On April 1st, 1999, the map of Canada will be redrawn for the first time in 50 years. It will have been 50 years ago that Newfoundland and Labrador joined Canada and created a country from sea to sea to sea.
I have always been proud of my roots. My family was originally from the Island of Jersey. We are of a Norman-French background. My family has lived and continues to live in the same community, Portugal Cove, Newfoundland since the 1700's. My wife is an Inuk, from Clyde River and her ancestors have lived here for thousands of years. At our home in Iqaluit, we fly the Canadian, the Northwest Territories and the Newfoundland flags to demonstrate and celebrate our roots.
Iqaluit, my home and constituency, where my three children were born is unique. It has a large and active Francophone population. It is the largest Inuit community in Canada. The diversity of Iqaluit and our sense of community is a good model that Canadians could take a lesson from.
Mr. Speaker, the national unity question has been a political football in this country for most of the past 30 years. The election of the PQ in Quebec in 1976, the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords and the recent referendum in Quebec have held national attention. Many non-Quebecers asked, "What does Quebec want? When will the question of national unity be finally be put aside?" The apathy surrounding the responses to the Calgary Declaration demonstrates that the Canadian public, I feel are becoming tired of the debate.
Mr. Speaker, bread and butter issues of affordable housing, of jobs and our standard of living are first and foremost on much of the Canadian electorate and residents of the Northwest Territories' minds. That does not mean we are not concerned or interested in a national unity question. The Calgary Declaration agreed to by the nine premiers and the two territorial leaders, tries to give a framework of understanding of the question. However, the issue of the status of aboriginal peoples and their part in the Canadian federation seems to have been overlooked. The majority of the responses from my constituency and the territories as a whole, indicate this. Even though the Northwest Territories takes on almost one-third the land mass of Canada, main line Canadian thinking tends to be east-west and not north-south. Our motion has addressed this issue.
As a Canadian, I have had the opportunity to visit many areas of our beautiful country. I have visited Quebec and enjoyed the hospitality and friendliness of Quebecers.
Mr. Speaker, the Quebec fact in Canada should be celebrated and acknowledged. It has a unique character and culture. It is, I believe, recognized coast to coast to coast. The Canadian federation allows for this diversity and it is demonstrated everywhere you look. If you travel to Grise Fjord, the north-most community in the country, if you travel to St. John's, if you visit Vancouver as examples; all foods, general goods, et cetera, are in French and English. That is unique.
During the second world war at one of the notorious prison camps, refugees were forced to turn over their worldly goods, which was piled in a section of the camp. Mr. Speaker, the refugees, the interned people, called that pile of goods Canada. The reason being, it represented the best, something to strive for and achieve. Let us as Canadians, keep our country together without favouring a region or people over one or the other. All Canadians should and do have the same rights and responsibilities. As Canadians we are unique and we do not need declarations to tell us so. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be a Canadian and a northerner and from the feedback from my constituents from Iqaluit, they also demonstrated that fact.
The Calgary Declaration does have some shortcomings, but, hopefully, it will move the national unity debate to the next stage. Finally, as a country, we will be able to move ahead, united from sea to sea to sea. I will be supporting the motion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
--Applause