Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the Northwest Territories, we are struggling to better balance the issue of resource development in a strong economy with protection of the environment. This is a critical issue. Around the world, there are examples of what happens if you don't do this right. There is one island country in Oceania, a small island country by the name of Nauru. It used to be called Pleasant Island when it was first stumbled across by the western sailors. It was everybody's idea of a tropical paradise with lush forests, water, plentiful fish, wildlife, very self-sustained. The islanders had been living there for over 3,000 years.
In 1907, it found out that the island was rich with phosphates. Since that time, deals were made with industry. Australia played a very key role in this. They effectively strip mined the island. Eighty percent of it has been virtually destroyed. Twenty percent of it is under enormous pressure. At one point briefly, the islanders were given money. At one point, they were at the highest per capita income of anybody in the world. They had a bank account of about $800 million. But now, in 2007, the money is gone. The island is basically destroyed. The vegetation is gone. The water no longer exists. The wildlife is gone. The surrounding fish and ocean has been so badly polluted by the dust and the strip mining that it no longer sustains much effective life. The islanders are broke. They are becoming, with a few dollars that are left, dependent on the good will of another country, Australia, to survive. They have traded their heritage for money. The money left was spent, bad decisions were made and other costs. They lost sight of the need to protect the value of their environment, the value of the trees, the land, the water, the fish, the game, and their heritage where they lived for thousands of years is gone.
There is an important lesson for us there, Mr. Speaker. We have a big territory, but we can't take for granted that the environment will be there if we don't look after it, if we don't protect the water, the land, and balance those pressures against resource development. That is a lesson that Nauru can teach us. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.