Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I could not possibly speculate on the reasons why the federal government has failed to recognize that the Northwest Territories, Nunavut in particular, and as well, the Yukon Territory, represent the most remote, high cost areas in Canada. We represent over a third of the geographic area of Canada, and some of the greatest mineral and oil and gas potential, yet we lack infrastructure and basic elements necessary for development to proceed in our areas.
It has been difficult going to Ottawa and convincing the federal government that there should be some resources made available to us. We have been lobbying and advocating that for a number of years, but the fact is, most of the Members of Parliament come from southern cities, from the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The Northwest Territories has one Member of Parliament as does Nunavut and the Yukon Territory. That probably says a lot about why there is very little action from the federal government for the northern part of Canada. Thank you.