Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I also rise in full support of the climate change motion just for the various reasons that a lot of Members here have expressed. Also, because it is our most pressing domestic and global environmental challenge to date, I think, like my friend Mr. Miltenberger stated, that time for debate has long since gone and we have to deal with the actual climate change as it's occurring today. I have to commend this government with this greenhouse strategy that was just put together. I think it addresses a lot of the challenges here that we face in the North to address climate change.

Maybe to just put this into perspective from northerners, Mr. Speaker, our problems with greenhouse gas emissions and water treatment and everything are really pale in comparison to a lot of the countries in other parts of the world, and even in North America, with the challenges that they face with climate change and their sustainable water supply. So I think it really is a time for us to really sit back and think of how lucky we are that we actually do have some heads that are coming together and are actually putting together a plan that we can address this in a timely manner and we have resources at our disposal. I think half of the rest of the world would really want to be in our shoes in addressing this issue the way we do.

Just some quick notes on the global climate change now that we're facing today, they're not really that great because in some places like Inuvik I know earlier this year they really liked the warmer weather. So some people are really inviting the global changes and don't think it's such a bad thing, but on the flipside we really have to think of other places further down south that are drying up and the water is depleting and that's all due because of small rises in the global temperature. Pretty soon here, if we get all the balmy weather and the extended summer growing season, I'm sure we would welcome climate change. But it's that very point, Mr. Speaker, that we all have to take

note of the fact that because it is doing some people some good and some people not so good, that we have different challenges in front of us. I think we all have to embrace the fact that over the long term we're all going to suffer. That's why we're addressing it here today, because what we do here today is going to make changes 100 years from now, it's not going to make any difference tomorrow or next year.

I think the onus is pretty much on the GNWT and the Yukon territorial government, the Nunavut government to really champion a cause of this nature because we're comprised of 80 percent of the total circumpolar region, globally speaking. So we are really the barometer and the thermometer of the global change and we have to make sure that we always keep our eyes on that thermometer.

With that, again, I can't offer enough support for a motion like this and enough support for maybe our government and our people in this country to really embrace the fact that we do have resources and we have the know-how to work with global change and make it work for us.

With that I offer my full support of this motion and the other motions that are coming forward today. Thank you.

---Applause