Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The David Suzuki Foundation produced the document entitled "All Over the Map: 2006 Status Report of Provincial Climate Change Plans." This report looks at provincial climate change efforts. It assesses each province's plan and analyzes each one's commitment to meeting the challenges of climate change. It says, with a couple of exceptions, most provinces and territories aren't leading in areas that they could be. Mr. Speaker, sadly, the Northwest Territories isn't one of those exceptions. In fact, the status report lists our performance as poor. Saskatchewan was the only province with a worse performance than ours.

Mr. Speaker, one of the recommendations the report makes is to cancel the Mackenzie Valley pipeline project and develop a sustainable energy and economic development strategy instead. As we all know, plans for the Mackenzie Valley pipeline and further natural gas production will lead to skyrocketing GHG emissions in the territory. Industry, like I mentioned, is the major contributor to the problem -- just over 50 percent of the GHGs, Mr. Speaker -- and we keep putting significant pressure and focus on residents to tighten their belts, but as we ignore the big groups we put pressure again on the smallest offenders.

Is this a case strictly based on "The Emperor Has No Clothes" and we're afraid to say no to the big giant? I don't know, Mr. Speaker. But Members of this House passed a motion in support of the pipeline, but I also think at the time we had the understanding that a resource revenue sharing agreement was pending and the territory would derive some benefit and control over our future.

Mr. Speaker, oil and gas industry has given us weak responses in order to avoid using the lower emissions that a Great Bear River project to develop a power station on the Great Bear...Sorry, Mr. Speaker. But that project on the Bear River could provide a lot of clean, cheap energy. If the pipeline goes ahead, the producers should be held accountable for their increase to their greenhouse gas emissions. These companies make billions of dollars in profit each year, Mr. Speaker. We have given them the carrot, Mr. Speaker, in the form of a comfort letter in the past, but perhaps now we should be using the stick approach. I think we should be considering and be willing to look at issues such as carbon tax levies that could be used to help fund the Great Bear River project, the hydro project, that could help power communities along the Mackenzie Valley. Mr. Speaker, may I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement?