Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I am bringing up Arctic Council. A few weeks ago, the Arctic Council passed the torch, I guess, from Iceland to Russia. It was planned rotation each country spends two years to chair before passing it along. But what makes it concerning that is Russia's increasing aggressive towards its northern neighbours. The Russian foreign minister was quoted, Mr. Speaker, as saying that all resources under the Arctic belongs to Russia. They've claimed the entire Arctic sea bed.

Russia has been investing heavily in the Arctic, both in industrial military facilities and backup to back up its claim. They've also been clamping down on their Indigenous people. Some Indigenous leaders have been living in exile. Other Indigenous organizations have declared foreign agents, Mr. Speaker, in their our own land. That's not right.

This government now is responsible for chairing the Arctic Council, the forum meant to our vote, cooperation, coordination, interaction among the Arctic states and Arctic Indigenous peoples.

Mr. Speaker, my region is the front lines of the Arctic in this conflict. Canada has to step up, Mr. Speaker. Our economy has, for a long time, been up and down with the oil and gas industry, since the '80s -- '70s, '80s, '90s, which Canada is putting a ban on our offshore, and I'm hoping that gets lifted so the oil and gas development, we could start working towards it with Indigenous governments to start extracting our -- doing something in trying to get our Arctic oil and gas into market. Our own resources, offshore resources, are going to the Russians.

Mr. Speaker, we have to invest. Our government has to take the lead on this. Getting Canada to invest into the North on the Western Arctic port, invest in the Arctic heavily.

Mr. Speaker, we did that investment, investing in our people, investing in for what we have as our natural resources, as oil and gas, we sure wouldn't be going to Ottawa looking for handouts. We'd be able to take care of ourselves. So, Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Premier at the appropriate time. Thank you.