Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Becoming the majority does not give us the right to abuse those who will find themselves in minority. For me, Mr. Speaker, it does exactly the opposite. We have an obligation to make sure Nunavut is a place where, if we are to be intolerant of anything, it must be of intolerance itself. Similar comments were made by the President of NTI in an interview on TVNC in which he referred to "white people being increasingly very protective of one another." Those remarks may have been less blunt, but they were equally disturbing.

Mr. Speaker, no group of people thinks entirely alike. I, for example, frequently disagree with what I hear from Mr. Amagoalik and Mr. Kusugak. Perhaps this will lead to me also being dismissed as confused. So be it. But I offer this caution. Whenever political leaders depersonalize individuals or groups of people, they play a very dangerous game. If we truly want to do things differently in Nunavut, it is a game we cannot afford to play. I want to add, Mr. Speaker, that if Mr. Amagoalik wants to be taken seriously on issues like gender equality, he must be fully committed to all aspects of equality. No lower standard will be acceptable.

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, I was reluctant to raise these issues but, after thinking about it for more than a week, I concluded that something needed to be said. May I say that I, one day, hope to see Mr. Amagoalik and Mr. Kusugak walk across the stage of the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards in recognition of their genuine lifetime achievements. This is more likely to happen if they return to the standard to which of all of us should be firmly committed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause