Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I put this motion forward today knowing of the importance of the Porcupine Caribou to not only the residents of Alaska, Yukon and the Northwest Territories, but also the subsistence way of life of many residents of the Northwest Territories. Also realizing the importance of this species to the people who have lived here for thousands of years. We cannot afford to take a chance on a resource that has, for thousands of years, taken the migration route all the way to the coastal plain every May and June to have their calves and then migrate south during the winter to their wintering grounds in the Ogilvie and Richardson Mountain ranges, where a lot of the residents that I serve continue to maintain themselves by that food source to support them through the long winters.

I would like to make it clear that I do not see how we, as Canadians, can allow for this activity to take place in a national wildlife refuge. That is just like us opening up the door to allow exploration development to take place in our national parks in Canada.

With regard to the Aulavik National Park, which is established through the Inuvialuit agreement and the Vuntut Gwich'in National Park, which is established through the Vuntut agreement in Old Crow, they have taken the step to preserve and protect the calving grounds in Canada. Also, we have established the Tuktut Nogait Park around Paulatuk to protect the Bluenose caribou where we have set the precedent in Canada already. I would just like to make it clear to the people out there that in no way, shape or form can we allow that to happen. Those are my reasons for protecting the calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou.