Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank my colleagues for their concern about fairness and equity, which, as a government, we fully subscribe to, as well. Mr. Speaker, everybody is entitled to a better, clean environment, and I think that's the fundamental premise that we're proceeding on, and that we have a very, very heavy footprint upon Mother Earth already. If we don't start taking the steps to mitigate our impact, the accumulation of that footprint is going to get worse.
We estimate there are 25 million beverage containers every year in land fills, in the ditches, the streets, the bushes, wherever, in every community across the Northwest Territories. We have been somewhat slow with rolling this out over the years. It's been a complex program, and I made, what I consider, to be very serious commitments in this House yesterday about the importance of this program, and that, as a government and a Legislature, very clearly, we indicated this is a significant priority back in the 14th Assembly when this Legislation was passed, and as we've worked over the last couple years with the regulations in getting ready to roll this out.
I am very mindful, and I will be very mindful, of the concerns of all the Members that they've raised on behalf of their constituents and their communities. I've made, as I indicated, very serious commitments in this House that I did not make lightly, and I am very committed, as are all the Members here, to this program. I would also suggest that aboriginal people, for sure, don't need to be told about the value of the environment, and how we have to cherish it, and protect it, and respect the treasures that we take from it every day, and I think all northerners have that appreciation.
So, Mr. Speaker, I just want to acknowledge that I hear the concern. I know what the intent is, and I'm committed to fairness and equity. I have made some very serious commitments in this House that I intend to try to honour. Thank you.