Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My statement today, as one of far-reaching and long-term effects about citizens in the Northwest Territories, it is about the environment. I would like to refer to the report released earlier this week, Mr. Speaker, by the federal commissioner of the environment and sustainable development. The 2002 report further confirms that a mere two kilometres from where we are meeting here in this Assembly sits one of Canada's worst mining legacies, and those are the underground vaults and the 237,000 tons of arsenic trioxide underneath the Giant Mine property.
Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General's report on the environment has some good advice for the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs about the ten abandoned mine sites that it claims are high priority contaminated sites in the Northwest Territories. The Auditor General warns that the current levels of care for water contamination and protection of human health are mere band-aids and do nothing to give long-term solutions. The report calls for stable funding and long-term plans, and I agree.
Let's talk about a couple of the sites that are close, including the Colomac site. This is an urgent problem, says the report, as a potential dam failure on the tailings area could be catastrophic. Giant Mine, as we know, is one of Canada's most infamous contaminated sites. In addition to the toxic underground situation, there is a lot of surface clean-up required, Mr. Speaker. Perhaps the most significant conclusion of the report in relation to Giant, and I quote: "Regardless of the method used to store or move the underground arsenic, water that leaves the underground area will likely require treatment forever."
Mr. Speaker, in seeking to take something positive from the Northwest Territories in the recent Throne Speech in which the federal government was made to accelerate the clean up of federal contaminated sites in Canada. With Giant and Colomac we have two of the most toxic sites for which the federal government has responsibility.
I have recently written to the Honourable Ethel Blondin-Andrew, our MP, and I look forward to hearing about real money, real money, Mr. Speaker, to address these critical environmental issues. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
-- Applause