Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will not be supporting the motion. I am sick and tired of the Northwest Territories having the dubious distinction of being the most difficult place in which to develop resources.

Ten years ago I went to the Prospectors and Developers Conference in Toronto. I was a speaker there on behalf of our government, and we were talking about the same things then: the red tape, the environmental assessment process. That’s our distinction. That’s what we’re known for in the Northwest Territories. You want to go to a place where you can never get business done? Go to the Northwest Territories. While at the same time, our neighbours to the south, our neighbours to the east, our neighbours to the west are doing fantastic, and they are realizing their aspirations for their economic development.

In no way am I saying that we should develop our resources at the expense of our environment.

Absolutely not. But what we have in place here, right now in the Northwest Territories, does not work, so good on the federal government for finally figuring out a way to streamline this and let’s get on with business. Let’s protect our environment at the same time. We’re not saying throw the doors wide open and throw out all environmental protection, but it’s about time that we had a streamlined process, and if this gets us to it, I support it and I do not support the motion. Thank you.