Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS water is essential to life, and constitutes a fundamental human right;

AND WHEREAS this right includes access to water bodies for purposes of harvesting, travel and navigation, and mechanisms to prevent or seek redress for any action that may affect these rights;

AND WHEREAS this right extends to water as part of a healthy environment and recognizes spiritual and cultural values, taking into consideration the needs of the most disadvantaged and of future generations;

AND WHEREAS on September 7, 2006, in Fort Simpson, representatives of the peoples residing in the vast basin including Lake Athabasca, the Slave River, Great Slave Lake and the Mackenzie River issued the Keepers of the Water Declaration which asserts fundamental human rights with respect to water;

AND WHEREAS the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights adopted, on November 26, 2002, the General Comment on the Right to Water, which states that "Water is a limited natural resource and a public good fundamental for life and health. The human right to water is indispensable for leading a life in human dignity. It is a prerequisite for the realization of other human rights;"

AND WHEREAS climate change and the expansion of industrial activity are diminishing the quantity and quality of water in the Mackenzie Basin;

NOW THEREFORE I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, that this Legislative Assembly recognizes that all peoples have a fundamental human right to water that must be recognized nationally and internationally, including the development of appropriate institutional mechanisms to ensure that these rights are implemented;

AND FURTHER that this Legislative Assembly recognizes that this right includes access to water bodies for purposes of harvesting, travel and navigation, and mechanisms to prevent or seek redress for any action that may affect these rights;

AND FURTHERMORE that this Legislative Assembly recognizes that this right must take precedence over the use of water for industrial and commercial purposes;

AND FURTHERMORE that this Legislative Assembly endorses the application of the precautionary approach in all management decisions or actions that may affect the quality, quantity or natural rate of flow of water within the basin;

AND FURTHERMORE that this Legislative Assembly urges all parties to complete and implement comprehensive watershed management and land use plans as soon as possible in order to safeguard water sources and maintain ecosystem integrity across the basin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause