Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like many of my colleagues, I also reached out to my land claim group, the Gwich'in, but what the Gwich'in council was concerned about was that our Gwich'in Renewable Resources Board was saying that they were not being consulted or involved in co-drafting. The Gwich'in Tribal Council wrote a letter to the environment and natural resources Minister, and he sent a response that there would be more engagement after the second reading. The Gwich'in certainly want to maintain our good relationship with the Government of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, some of my colleagues earlier today said, oh, we do not have much for timber up in my neck of the woods, but, to be truthful, we have some of the largest trees in the Northwest Territories, maybe next to Fort Liard. You know, we do have a lot of timber in our area, and those who may have travelled in our territory know that we have a lot spruce, dry wood, green, and, over the last, say, 15, 20 years, maybe more, our people have been probably the leaders, going out and getting wood permits, just taking what we need. Also, while getting permits, we are actually keeping track of how much we are harvesting so that we know for future generations. So we are already doing our part in the Mackenzie Delta and also the Beaufort Delta, even when it comes to driftwood, Mr. Speaker. It's a voluntary thing, but the reason we are going out and getting wood permits is so we know how much we are harvesting throughout the summer months, and that is just wood that is coming down the rivers.

Mr. Speaker, because the Gwich'in are willing to work with the government through our next steps, you know, I am sure I will get a lot of flak for it, but I will be voting for the bill to move forward. If the changes are not going to be let with the Aboriginal working groups over this process, it is not too late to shut it down at third reading. If that is something that we need to do, then that is when this whole process will surely fall through, but let's go through the process.

Like I said, the Gwich'in are willing to work with the government and ensure that their concerns are brought forward. We are here for our future generations, as it was said, and some of us are practising that already and are just willing to move forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.