Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. The Inuvialuit and the Gwich'in were able to strive and meet the challenges in front of them. Yes, they received hardships and lost certain things along the way, such as their culture, language and some of their abilities, especially to harvest, with the generations to come.

A lot of people like myself do not feel proud that we are not able to speak our aboriginal language. We are seeing that more and more with the generations that are here and the generations to come. They have made progress in other areas, such as the Inuvialuit concluding their land claim settlement in 1984, then the Gwich'in following in 1992. There is still a lot of work to be done to ensure those agreements are lived up to and implemented as they were understood and signed by governments and the aboriginal people.

With that side, we have seen some accomplishments, especially with the Inuvialuit, on the economic side of businesses and also on the environmental management regimes that have been established for the screening and revealing of land-use permit plans.

The Inuvialuit and the Gwich'in have taken the next step to improve the well-being, health, education and social conditions of their people in the Mackenzie Delta. They continue to work along with the people to conclude the self-government negotiations, to establish a regional government in the Mackenzie Delta-Beaufort Sea area, so they can have a say in how programs and services are going to be delivered and improve the lives of the people they represent.

For me, self-government has always been there. It is nothing new. The First Nations people have been practicing this from time immemorial, long before the contact with the Europeans.

I wish all aboriginal First Nations across the country and within the Northwest Territories to continue to strive for success, and to show you are a governing government on your own. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause