Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this time, I would like to raise an issue that impacts every person in the Northwest Territories, the very important issue of water quality. Mr. Speaker, I raise this issue of water quality because of the importance it has on our environment and the traditional lifestyles of the aboriginal people and Northerners.
Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories is part of the Mackenzie River Basin and area that encompasses approximately 1.8 million square kilometres, which includes three territories and three provinces. The combination of past and current development activities in the Northwest Territories and the upstream activity, such as mining, oil and gas development, forestry activity and the damming of rivers, has impacted water quality in the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, it is important that this government provide assurances to the people of the North that we are actively and effectively managing our water resources. The Northwest Territories is advertised by this government as a place to visit because of its pristine environment, an environment where one imagines dipping a glass in any stream, river or lake and being confident that the water is clean and safe to drink.
However, Mr. Speaker, we in the North are hesitating to dip a glass in these streams, rivers and lakes, or consume the wildlife that was once the mainstay of our diet. For that matter, Mr. Speaker, we are becoming worried of the quality of water being delivered to our homes. As an example, Mr. Speaker, what person here in Yellowknife is not familiar with the term arsenic and the likelihood of its presence in each glass of water we drink?
Another potential negative impact of water quality and the loss of resources was brought to my attention by an elder who was concerned with the dumping of culled fish back into Great Slave Lake. There are numerous examples of past activities resulting in the leaching of hazardous materials into our waterways. One example is Axe point, an old army base left over from the 1940's, downstream from Fort Providence, which requires current clean up due to the leaching of hazardous material.
The negative effects of water quality cannot be attributed to any one industry, company or person. It is the cumulative effect of the past and current development activities, not only in the Northwest Territories but upstream as well. As economic activities take place, it is certain there will be some form of environmental impact for us. We should be concerned and, more importantly, question.
The question then arises, at what level of environmental impact do we become concerned and what are the cumulative impacts and cost?