Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Competition Bureau is an arms-length, federal agency under the Ministry of Industry. The federal Minister, Allan Rock, is ultimately responsible for this Competition Bureau. Ever since we became involved in the diamond industry some three to four years ago, the Competition Bureau started developing the definition of Canadian diamonds.

In our research, we as the Government of the Northwest Territories have had a lot of input to try to influence that definition. We have been developing our certification program. For our certification program, a Canadian diamond should be a diamond that is mined, cut and polished in Canada by Canadians. That is what our certification program is doing and they are certified by the Government of the Northwest Territories.

However, when the Competition Bureau came out with the definition about a year ago to mean that a Canadian diamond is a diamond that is mined in Canada but it could be exported by the companies outside of the country -- Antwerp, India, maybe Israel or wherever they do the polishing and cutting -- and then they would polish and cut that diamond there and bring it back into Canada and call it a Canadian diamond, we have had a very difficult time with it. We have written letters to the Competition Bureau. We have written a letter to the Minister of Industry. Recently, about two weeks ago when our Premier and Finance Minister were in Ottawa, there was a meeting with Allan Rock and this was one of the subjects that was raised. From what I understand, he was not aware of the Competition Bureau's definition of Canadian diamonds. As you know, Allan Rock just took over that portfolio a few months ago and there are many things in his responsibility, so he was not aware of this.

We are making this known. I just came back from Vancouver yesterday from a World Diamond Congress, an international conference on mining diamonds. The whole focus was on diamonds from the North. The main message I delivered there was our concern and objection to the Competition Bureau's definition of Canadian diamonds. Thank you.