Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I guess I am sad about this motion. Mr. Allen asked me to consider seconding the motion. Mr. Speaker, I heard that in order to get to the Promised Land, we have to negotiate our way out of the bushes. So I look at this as an opportunity with the Northwest Territories being the promised land because of the potential wealth that we have in the Northwest Territories and the amount of wealth that the federal government takes from the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, we are in a unique position. There are unique circumstances in the Northwest Territories. The way it's structured right now, it seems that it may not be a good place to have provincehood. However, we have the means and the dynamics in the North. There are many changes happening in Canada, where some of the provinces look favourably upon the North in terms of having some unique approaches to looking at provincehood.

Devolution is a big issue for the Sahtu. I did some canvassing in the Sahtu region and they basically said that it would be a good idea to look at some of the options of provincehood. Maybe it would have benefits for us, maybe not. It may work against it. At least have a dream, and Mr. Allen has agreed to planting the seeds for our people in terms of growing up with the big boys in the Confederation of Canada. Right now, we are a territory

and there is some perception that we are at arm's length of the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, an administrative arm of the federal government. In some other areas, it shows we have come into some maturity as a territory and could be looked at as a province. That will take some support from this government and some other governments here across Canada.

I guess I am supporting the motion so that we can have a seat at the Confederation table. We are more than a territory and it's about time we started looking at having some discussions with our people in the Northwest Territories in terms of having the Northwest Territories become a unique province in the Confederation of Canada. This is gaining control of resources and administering our resources and looking at the revenues that could stay in the Northwest Territories. I would like to keep all the resources, but I understand a huge load of it goes to Ottawa. They have some instances where they distribute the money back to the Northwest Territories.

However, through my six months of being in the House here, it seems we are not getting anything. The needs of the North are so big that we are barely scraping the bottom. We have lots of needs in the North such as housing, health, education. We need to have more power to give more benefits to the people. I think unless we go to Canada and send a message to our people that it's high time that the Northwest Territories takes a meaningful look at all the options, have some meaningful meetings in the Northwest Territories and in the regions and look at the big picture in terms of having this territory come to fruition in terms of the unique provincehood style.

These are my points in supporting the motion that Mr. Allen put forward. Thank you.