Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For the first time in the history of Canada, we have suggested to the Prime Minister, Mr. Martin and Mr. Nault, that we will have a territory that can contribute more to Canada in terms of revenue and raising of taxes through resource development than it actually gets from Canada. We will become, with the development of the diamond mines and a natural gas pipeline, the first "have" territory in the history of Canada. The returns to Canada for what we see as short-term investment preparing us for pipeline construction through training, through infrastructure investment, through a range of other short-term dollar investments, the returns will be significant. I think this is what captures the interest of the federal government, certainly, the Prime Minister.

Many years ago, he came to the North as Minister of Northern Affairs and served in the portfolio for six years. He saw that many of our aboriginal people needed to establish offices, to set up programs of community development, to work on our education levels and create an opportunity for us to settle our claims, by setting up the comprehensive claims process and to create opportunities to negotiate self-government agreements. These were all done with a view that in the future, aboriginal people will have the confidence, the resources and the means by which to initiate partnerships and projects that would place them as significant players and beneficiaries of resource development here in the Northwest Territories. Our Prime Minister sees that and wants to reap the benefits of the initial work he did, which started back in the early 70s. Thank you.