Thank you, Madam Chair. I will be very brief. For the record, Madam Chair, I would like to express my gratitude on behalf of the people of Nunavut for the support assumed by and demonstrated by this government over the past 20 some years when we were preparing for creation of Nunavut. I think we the people of Nunavut, have been very fortunate in some areas. Unlike the west, our area is a little less complex. We have three different regions, Kitikmeot, Keewatin, and Baffin, and basically, we are able to understand each other in our language, slightly different, but basically you can communicate with each other.

Secondly, I have talked to people like Levi Barnabas, Mr. Enuaraq, and other Nunavut Members from other parts of the Nunavut area. I come from the Kitikmeot region. I was born in Keewatin, but every time you talk to somebody else from another community in the Baffin, you realize that there is someone related to someone from different regions. It really is a small world.

The people of Nunavut, mainly the aboriginal people, from the beginning of time survived on one condition, that we learned to survive by working together. It was the only way. In our camp, when we needed to survive we depended on the other people, because we were living out on the sea. When you are living out on the sea and you have to look for seal holes, one seal will have maybe five or six, maybe ten holes at a time. There is no way for one person, one hunter, to be able to check every hole at the same time, so we need the help of other people to survive and to work together, even though you are from the different camp site. That was part of the survival.

So when we talked about creation of Nunavut, 20 some years ago, we realized that one region will not be able to do things that he wanted to do for their people. Perhaps two regions would be able to work something out, but three regions would even be better to get something from the government in terms of negotiations. We realize that in numbers, the opportunity to succeed is ten times better than if you have one or two people.

Madam Chair, once we divide, I would like to assure the people of the west, all my colleagues, that from the Kitikmeot region, I come from Kitikmeot region, the municipalities of Kitikmeot region want to continue buying services from this area. I am not speaking for the whole of Nunavut, but I am speaking for my region. We will continue to buy services. How much, I have no idea. People from Kitikmeot region have depended upon Yellowknife for medical services. I thank the people of Yellowknife for educational services and the likes and I, as your brother, hope that you will be able to succeed in your endeavour to have your own government in this area, a western government. I have to say that because we will continue to depend on each other. I would like to underline that part. People assume that when we divide, the western government will be the government by itself, the eastern government will be the government by itself. There will be a line drawn between the two. That is only an imaginary line, I am sure, given the constitution of the country, mobility rights and so on. You can seek jobs here and there. I am sure that we will continue to work closely together, co-operate together and still very much depend on each other. Thank you, Madam Chair.