Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. First, I would like to welcome my colleagues back to the House. I'm glad to be back myself, and Mr. Speaker, I'm also keen to share some very exciting news for conservation, reconciliation, and the future of our territory.

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Also known as the Horn Plateau, Edehzhie has been called "the jewel" and "the breadbasket" of the Dehcho, the place where Dene have turned for generations. Edehzhie means "source waters" as it hosts the source waters for the Willowlake, Horn, and Rabbitskin Rivers, and at 14,200 square kilometers, it's bigger than both the Banff and Jasper National Parks. In fact, it's bigger than about 40 countries, including the Bahamas and Lebanon.

Edehzhie's designation as a protected area, the first Indigenous protected area in Canada, is a monumental achievement, the triumph of a process begun 20 years ago, and I want to congratulate all involved.

As part of this agreement, both the Dehcho First Nations and the Government of Canada have agreed to protect the area from industrial development. Canada has also committed to establishing a national wildlife area by 2020. Future management decisions will be made by consensus through the Edehzhie Management Board, with the Dehcho K'ehodi Guardians responsible for stewardship and taking care of the Deh Cho.

The work doesn't stop here, Mr. Speaker. I know my colleagues are aware of the recent United Nations' report warning of climate change crisis as early as 2040. Governments must meaningfully act on issues of conservation, land protection, and carbon emissions. This agreement to protect Edehzhie is one example of walking that walk.

Dene law tells us that the survival of the whole group - our families and our communities - is more important than the accumulation of individual wealth or status. Not to put too fine a point on it, Mr. Speaker, but if we are to survive, and if the land that we come from is to survive, we must act on what Dene law has described as our collective responsibility to protect the land and resources for our children and grandchildren.

I thank First Nations for continuing to lead in protecting the land, waters, and animals, and I look forward with hope to the work to come. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.