Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, of course, I'm very interested in the Taltson. I have made several Member statements on Taltson about the impacts. The negative impact of the Taltson Dam downstream on businesses, and downstream, essentially, that dam has killed the fur industry for the people of Taltson River. The least the government should be doing, if they're thinking of expanding this, is consulting with the people who were impacted. I have asked several times now that the government look at this, and if they are determined to proceed with this and they want to make it a little bit easier, maybe they should start off by consulting with the Aboriginal people who were impacted.
I have mentioned several times that the entire fur industry was shut down in the Taltson a few times. A few years, people went trapping in the spring, and there is no beaver or muskrat on the river, and that is what they do, spring hunt. Taltson River was a very prosperous river at one point prior to the Taltson Dam going in, and it sustained a lot of people. There are a lot of trappers who are not trapping. The economy evolves, but at that time, just about the entire Northwest Territories was based on the fur trade, and that is why the Hudson's Bay and the Northwest Company came north, due to the fur trade. There was a lot of fur coming out of the Taltson River at one point, and that all changed because of the dam.
I asked a simple question: would the government consult with the people who are impacted by the Taltson Dam so at least they know that somebody is listening to what they've got to say? So far, the responses I am getting from range from "No" to "We will if we have a project." Now, we have a budget. It is all planning, but there is a budget of $10 million for Taltson. We're asking questions. We are just saying, "Okay, we are going to check into it. We are going to study to see if it's feasible." I am asking the government to make sure that, before they proceed any further, they consult with the people of Fort Resolution, for sure, and also the people who were impacted as a result of the changes on a natural lake, the Lutselk'e people. That's my question to the Minister. Before proceeding any further, if they want support, then will they consult with the people of For Resolution and Lutselk'e? Thank you.