Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that Cabinet has approved the Northwest Territories Protected Areas Strategy. This strategy provides a framework for the overall development and management of a system of protected areas in the Northwest Territories. Community consultation was an important element in developing the Protected Areas Strategy. Aboriginal organizations, industry, environmental groups and the federal government were equal partners in the process.

Mr. Speaker, this strategy will benefit future generations in the Northwest Territories by protecting unique environmental, geological, cultural and historic areas. It promotes a balanced approach to land use decisions by incorporating the best available traditional, ecological, cultural and economic knowledge. The members of the Protected Areas Strategy Advisory Committee can be proud of this document. They have developed a strategy which will allow us to protect areas of land and water with special natural and cultural values while providing greater clarity about the status, access and development options for these areas. Communities, regional and land claims organizations will take the lead in identifying areas to be protected. The Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, with support from the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, will establish a Protected Areas Strategy Secretariat to provide assistance and support for identifying and establishing protected areas.

Mr. Speaker, the Protected Areas Strategy is the culmination of several years work by the Advisory Committee. It is dedicated to the memory of two members of that group: Mr. Nelson Green, a champion of Inuvialuit culture, traditions, language and harvesting rights; and Mr. Ron Seale, a man who devoted both his professional and personal life to preserving our wild spaces and parks. The Protected Areas Strategy will now be sent to the federal Minister of DIAND, the Honourable Jane Stewart, for her approval. Once that approval is given, we look forward to implementing the strategy in partnership with communities, regional organizations and land claims bodies. Mashi Cho.

--Applause