Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I expected that there might be more people waiting to speak. I just wanted to say a few things to put on the record. When this bill was up for second reading, I supported the bill because I was answering to some of the constituents in my riding who are employed with the RCMP as well as the DND. I had stated my reasons for supporting it then. Also, I wanted to take it out to the public and have an opportunity to have a discussion on it.

I was a member of the Committee who had public hearings on this and it has become a lot more complex, this bill, than I had expected. We had presentations, as the Chair of the Governance Committee had indicated earlier, from various aboriginal leaders. It was an opportunity for me to learn a lot about the environment, which this bill has to consider.

I want to thank the Member for Frame Lake for the work that he has done in bringing this forward. I know there is a pocket of people in Yellowknife, and probably throughout the Territory, who would like to see the residency requirement and the time reduced. However, I want to put on the record that I am going to vote against this bill for a number of reasons.

One, I do believe the process we have going in terms of holding public hearings on the amendments or establishing the new Wildlife Act to accommodate the provisions and conditions that are being set out in the ongoing land claims and aboriginal self-government negotiations has to be respected and reflected.

I want to be clear that I support the intent and spirit of this bill. I do believe that I still would like to see a situation where the people who move here from the south could come here and hunt as early as they can elsewhere. I still believe that people are not going to all of a sudden go out and hunt animals after six months or two years just because the licensing is allowed. I think this is an exclusive thing for those who are into this sort of thing. However, for those who respect nature and who want to engage in hunting, it is very near and dear to their hearts. So I respect the desire for those who want to be able to hunt as soon as possible.

I just think this is not good timing, in light of all that is happening in the Territories. I am not interested in creating a very deep gulf or a difference of understanding between this government and the aboriginal government at this juncture.

I also want to add that to my surprise, I have been approached by a lot of Yellowknifers, long-term Yellowknifers -- non-aboriginal, to be specific -- who have stated that they do not agree with changing the residency requirement to six months. It was a surprise to me because I would be lined up for a coffee and there were more people talking to be about this bill than even the highway commercial truck permit fee.

This has not been easy for me, but I have cased a vote for and against and based on what my constituents have been telling me, in light of the fact that there is a question about process that had to be followed in a bill like this that affects the Wildlife regulations in the Territory, and in light of the respect that I have for how deeply offended the aboriginal leaders are about this bill, I have to come to this conclusion. I do still believe the intent and purpose of this bill really does not interfere with the aboriginal government's power to control. I will just close my rambling on by saying I am going to vote against this bill. Thank you.