Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do not think you will find any argument from Members of this House that this government needs to work very closely with federal government and the aboriginal governments in order to achieve a consensus on moving control and ownership of resources to the North.
But I think this government needs to take some positive action in terms of developing a policy we can look to in the long term. I do not think that because some Members have been critical of government action in certain areas that there is no support for the government to take action in other areas where we see the long-term potential being great. I think this is one of those areas.
Mr. Speaker, I do not think this government should wait for the inter-governmental forum to start developing a policy for non-renewable resources. I would like to ask the Minister if he would commit to undertaking that sort of policy development, some initial work so we are prepared in the future to take over the ownership as Northerners? I do not mean this government taking over, but for our part in the ownership and control of those resources.