Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Regarding my comments yesterday, I think that the comments that I am making are not only for myself, but, I believe, all aboriginal groups, regardless if you are Gwich'in, Inuvialuit, Inuk or basically one of the aboriginal groups from the southern part of the territory, having the concern in relation to your family ties. Regardless if you have relatives in Alaska or basically if you have relatives in Greenland, Labrador or Quebec, it affects every one of the aboriginal groups in some way or another.
The point I am trying to make with my questions Mr. Chairman, is that I do not think we should take the position, standby and leave this matter to someone else because we hope that they will take care of it. The reason I am raising it is because I feel strongly enough that we have to find a way to help improve the family ties between the different aboriginal peoples and their relatives who live in Alaska or basically Quebec or Greenland. I am not asking these questions because I want to get my face in the newspaper. I am asking it because it is an issue that has to be looked at.
I use an example in regard to the Inuvialuit who have a lot of relations in northern Alaska. A lot of people that presently live in Aklavik originated from Alaska at the turn of the century, I think, in regard to the Gwich'in who basically originated as a tribe from Alaska through the northern part of Yukon and into the northwestern part of the Northwest Territories, Mr. Chairman, I believe that those ties of those aboriginal people have to be kept in mind when we are talking about relatives here.
We are not talking about the colour of your skin or basically a line that separates, from basically Israel or Syria or wherever. There is a line there that separates based on culture. Basically, you are talking about a group of people who are related across different jurisdictions. The point I am trying to make is that there are issues that affect those aboriginal groups regardless if it is harvesting rights. In the case of the Gwich'in they have a strong argument in regard to the Alaskan government because of the Porcupine Caribou issue and the calving grounds of that caribou herd. So regardless of what happens in Alaska, it could have a bearing on what happens to the aboriginal people in the Northwest Territories.
I think the point I am trying to make is, regardless if it is a question about the environment, economics or protecting our wildlife, we have to keep in mind that at the end of any one of those issues, it is the people's concerns that we have to take care of at the end of the day. The question I ask the Minister is that there are no real answers to any of my questions because it seems like no one really knows what one department is doing or one Minister is doing to deal with this matter. I hope my other colleagues could be patient and realize where I am coming from on this matter and allow me the opportunity to continue on and ask questions to the appropriate Ministers on these particular matters because it does affect the Inuvialuit and the Gwich'in of my riding. I would like to ask the Minister, is there any possible way that his department can look at the possibility of finding resources or someone within his department to seriously take a look at the whole question of what the effects of families between the different jurisdictions are and try to find a way to bring these groups closer together rather than keeping them apart by boundaries? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.