Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to speak a little on the NWT's Protected Area Strategy. Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that this Protected Area Strategy would apply to almost anywhere in the Northwest Territories and my particular concern is for the Inuvialuit settlement region. Mr. Speaker, under the Inuvialuit Final Agreement, there were certain boards and committees established for anyone to have access to the development process that would be planned by developers. This was to allow all interested bodies and groups to put forward their concerns. However, the initial plan was that rather than have Greenpeace or Friends of the Earth, or other environmental groups controlling the Inuvialuit lands and development of Inuvialuit lands, the Environmental Screening Committee, the environmental review boards were established to make those types of decisions and recommendations.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out that the GNWT has membership on these boards. Therefore, the people wonder why another agency is being set up that does not seem to recognize the existence of these boards that were established under the Inuvialuit Final Agreement for basically the same reason. Mr. Speaker, Inuvialuit have already designated 29 percent of their lands in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region towards parks, wildlife, sanctuaries of all types, and we are now finding that in order to have development, we are competing or having to address concerns of other groups in our area. If you take Paulatuk for instance as an example, in that particular park, we have lost the ability to have development proceed in that particular area. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.