Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, in the environmental impact review process under the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act, we're talking about the diamond mine that is going through the process right now. I understand that there have been a lot of questions posed through this process. As a government, our position in these types of talks, right from the time the first diamond mine was going through this process, is to maximize the benefits for people in the North and companies in the North, as well as to protect the environment. So once we take those types of positions, and if the application to put a mine in there is not very clear, then as the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, we have to ask these questions to see how we can maximize the benefit of our resources in the North, as well as the big emphasis on protection of the environment. That is very key to us as well. So we need to know through the application, if we have questions, we need answers to these questions. If the applicant's package is not clear in certain areas, then we need to ask questions of clarification.

Our department is to coordinate this government's participation in the environmental impact review hearings. There are other departments in this government -- for example, Education, Culture and Employment; also Health and Social Services -- and if they have their own questions pertaining to training and social aspects of a new mine, then we as RWED cannot tell them not to ask these questions. They have to ask these questions. So the intention of this government is not to slow down the process or to impede this whole thing. But the Environmental Impact Review Board has a board and they have set up a process to allow for us as a government to ask these questions, based on the position of maximizing benefits to people in the North, as well as protecting our environment. Thank you.