Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'll be brief on this issue. I certainly appreciate the level of concern around this issue. It's really timely given that we've been able to make some headway with some of our transboundary agreements.
Mr. Speaker, I represent the riding called the Deh Cho, which means big river and we really pride ourselves on being able to live off the river and have lived with the river and it has been the lifeline of our communities and many communities around the lake and all the way down the Mackenzie. There's a serious concern out there by members of the North that water is being affected in the quantity and the quality and the number of projects that are out there are really bringing this to the forefront. I think, Mr. Speaker, we have to look back historically that there has been an effect. I think the Member from Boot Lake raised the issue that acid rain has been an issue. I remember 20 years ago, as a band manager, seeing reports that showed that in the Mackenzie River, the community where I grew up in, that there was traces of acid rain, which showed that there was a certain level of insecticide that was used in the cotton fields in Alabama that were showing up in the water already. So it's been there for awhile. It's something that we need to take concern about. There are a number of issues, the oil sands, the Bennett dam, hydro dams are all coming to the forefront. Communities, especially in the South, have really been coming forward with concerns.
We certainly take this seriously and we, as a department, are expressing that this is a public resource that needs to be protected. Other aboriginal governments have come forward and also done a lot of initiatives on their own, held conferences, brought in people to talk about issues that are around water. A big one is contamination from the southern provinces. I spoke a little bit about how we need to have agreements.
Mr. Speaker, we also have to look internally. Not all the water flows from the south. We have water that comes from some of the mountains. This past fall, we had the opportunity to visit the community of Deline and look at the Bear River. That's probably the cleanest water in the world. The water is so clear you can see the bottom of the river and see the fish swimming. How do we protect those things? Those kinds of things we also have to look at. There are a number of things we have to do before we can even start finalizing our agreements. We have to be able to demonstrate what is there in terms of baseline. Are all the studies that are required in place? How long is that going to take? What streams cross the different jurisdictions? What kind of monitoring stations have to be in place? There is a lot of work that has to be done. It's time we got in front of this issue and I think all the Members here have demonstrated that this is one of the bigger issues that are facing us as a government and as a people in the North. I certainly want to say that I support that.
We've seen three new projects get approved this past year. All expansion projects that affect water and water quality in the Northwest Territories. There are many things to do.
The state of the aquatic ecosystem report shows our water is still very good. It still has good quality. We have to maintain that. We have to be able to follow up on some of the actions that give us direction that we have to work with the harvesters, we have to work with our residents to make sure they understand what the health of the ecosystem means. It will take everybody to work towards it. Blaming one government or another is just not acceptable. We need the Government of the Northwest Territories, we need the Government of Canada and the other provincial governments to work hand in hand with agreements that will protect us and give us comfort that we will be able to have good quality water and good quantity.
Mr. Speaker, those are my comments on this issue. Thank you.
---Applause