Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a few days ago my colleague from Kam Lake spoke on the need for a university in the Arctic and he made a compelling case for Yellowknife. I would like to go one step further, Mr. Speaker, and make a case as to why I believe the Arctic university should be in Inuvik.

Mr. Speaker, this is the International Polar Year and Canada is one of the countries that failed to establish university capacity in the Arctic compared to the commitments made by some of the other circumpolar countries. Inuvik, Mr. Speaker, the Beaufort-Delta, for that matter, has a rich diversity of everything. We have the tundra; we have the mountains; we have the river delta. We have oil exploration going on and gas exploration. So Inuvik, Mr. Speaker, the Beaufort-Delta, seems to be a logical choice.

The majority of the licences that are issued by the Arctic Research Institute are done and issued to studies in the Inuvik region. That's largely because of the diversity of the environment, culture and political development.

Mr. Speaker, there is a worldwide concern over climate change and the Arctic region will come under close scientific investigation because this is where a lot of the traumatic effects first appear: polar cap ice melting, permafrost deterioration, polar bear and caribou population decline. So, Mr. Speaker, I think this gives a good case for Inuvik. I think it's the belief of many Members on this side that university is needed in the Arctic between ourselves, Nunavut and the Yukon. We should come up with an agreement to pursue an Arctic university. I do want to make a good case for the Beaufort-Delta why it should be there. It's a proven fact, Mr. Speaker, that small towns can support a university. Wolfville, Nova Scotia, is a good example. It brings a lot of money into the local economy.

So I would encourage the Department of Education, Government of the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon to pursue an Arctic university and to have it in the Beaufort-Delta. Thank you.

---Applause