Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe that there is some sort of policy that is followed internally, but at the present time I do not know the answer. So I will take the question as notice. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would be more than willing to provide the Member with any information that is being prepared. I would be willing to receive input from any Member who has concerns in this area. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we have a discussion paper prepared by the Department of Renewable Resources on options and recommendations for protecting the caribou calving grounds. I believe that consultation will take place with the Inuvialuit, the Gwich'in and the Nunavut renewable resource management boards. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The most recent activities that have been taken by this government have been through the Premier to the Prime Minister. With the information we are receiving from the Prime Minister's office, we have heard that the President of the United States is looking at this and is very concerned. I also understand that the State of Alaska is the jurisdiction which has been pressuring to open up the area in Alaska. However, the correspondence we have received has been that the President is in support of not opening up this area. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This government has made every effort to comply with the concerns that we have received from the aboriginal groups in the area. In the middle of February, the Premier wrote to The Right Honourable Jean Chretien regarding a number of issues and one of those issues was regarding the calving grounds which the Member is concerned with. She pointed out the concerns that this government has with regard to Porcupine Caribou calving grounds.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to report to the House today on the excellent work being done in Baker Lake by Jacob Ikinilik and others. As we all realize, our elders who are rich in traditional knowledge and on-the-land skills are quickly being lost and our younger generations have not learned their ways. Without direct action the traditional ways will disappear. (Translation ends)

Over the winter, Mr. Ikinilik collected information from elders to include in the traditional lifeskills program that has begun in Baker Lake, organized by the volunteers and targeted students. The traditional camp has been set up and knowledgeable elders have been recruited as the role models for youth attending the camp. They were able to acquire some funding and make a feeble start in late February. A large two-room igloo was built near the community where youth and elders could spend time together. The school fully supported this program and the instructor allowed class time for classes to participate in this program.

I'm happy to see this cooperation and know they will have a very effective program. They are presently training young people in preparation of traditional meat. I am excited to see such initiatives coming out of Baker Lake. I have been working with the group and encourage them to continue.

My primary goal over the last four years has to been to ensure the cultural program in the school was relevant and effective. The importance of these types of projects cannot be overstressed, and I commend all those involved in making them a success. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to provide an update on the forest fire at Fort Norman.

Since this fire started two days ago, firefighting crews, both on the ground and in the air, have worked day and night to try to control the fire and protect the community. In spite of best efforts, the fire is now very close to the community.

Because of the dangerous conditions, all ground firefighting crews have been pulled off the fire. Helicopters are still dropping buckets of water. As soon as the visibility improves, the large air tankers will resume efforts to protect the community.

Mr. Speaker, this morning, the MLA for Sahtu, Honourable Stephen Kakfwi, and the Minister responsible for forest fire management, Honourable Don Morin, went to Norman Wells to meet with people who have been evacuated from Fort Norman and to look at the fire situation.

Early this morning everyone who was not needed to fight the fire was evacuated from Fort Norman. I take this opportunity to express support for those individuals who are fighting the fire and for those who have been forced to leave their homes temporarily.

Mr. Speaker, the hot and windy weather is expected to continue. As the weekend approaches, I want to remind everyone that the whole western Arctic is extremely dry. If possible, people who are out on the land should avoid having any kind of open fire. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, over the past two years, representatives from our government have travelled regularly to Europe to alert the European community of the potential impacts on our wild fur industry of a proposed regulation. Last year, our efforts were successful in delaying the implementation of the regulation for one year. Since then, we have carefully monitored activity in the European Parliament and the European Commission, which is responsible for determining how the regulation will be implemented. We have also taken every opportunity to push the Government of Canada into becoming actively involved in resolving our concerns over this regulation.

I can now report that our vigilance has resulted in the following actions by Canada:

1. In March, the Prime Minister of Canada, after his meeting with the President of the United States, advised the Premier of renewed commitment by the US to deal with this issue and to coordinate efforts to achieve shared goals;

2. In May, the Minister of International Trade, after his meetings with his counterparts in the United States and the European Commission, advised the Premier of the important role that our government has been playing and of the potential for a negotiated solution involving Canada, the United States, Russia and the European community to resolve our outstanding concerns. If the European Commission does not accept the joint Canadian/US proposal, the Honourable Roy MacLaren has advised the Premier that Canada will take steps to protect the fur industry by initiating the dispute settlement process of the World Trade Organization;

3. In May, the Canadian Council of Environment Ministers unanimously agreed that a strong message needed to be sent to Europe immediately. Following this, the Minister for Environment Canada indicated she would contact all the European Environment Ministers to advance Canada's position; and,

4. In mid-June, the leaders of the G-7 countries will meet in Halifax and the European fur import regulation will be discussed. The Premier has written to the Prime Minister that it is important to gain the support of the other G-7 countries if we are to resolve our concerns.

The four national aboriginal organizations have also become involved and are sending representatives to Europe over the next four weeks who will make presentations and hold seminars in different countries.

Over the next few weeks, we will learn of the European community's reaction to these actions. Since only a few months are left, it is very important that any action our government takes is carefully planned to have the maximum effect. This is why I decided not to return to Europe at this time. I still believe that our government has a role to play, but that role will depend on the European community's response to the Canadian/US proposal for a negotiated solution.

On June 2nd, I wrote to both the Minister of Environment Canada and the Minister of International Trade advising them of the few months left for action, urging them to meet with their European counterparts and offering assistance from our government. In early July, I will be host to seven members of the European Parliament, who are travelling to Canada to learn about fur and forest management. I will also remain in contact with the federal Ministers to review Canada's plans for action.

Mr. Speaker, it is critical for us to continue to work together with each other, the federal government and other governments. This has been the key to our past success. For this, I would like to thank the ordinary Members for their interest, support and involvement; in particular, Mr. Antoine, Mr. Ballantyne, Mr. Lewis, and Mr. Whitford, who have taken the time to participate in meetings with the Europeans.

I would like to assure everyone that we will do everything in our power to ensure that the wild fur trade continues and flourishes. We have some very hard work ahead of us yet and, as events unfold, I will keep the Legislative Assembly informed. Mutna, qujannamiik, mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the allocations that were made in sub-area 0, there was a quota set for 1995 of 5,500 tons. In his news release, Mr. Tobin indicated that the Inuit quota for that area would be 1,000. Thank you.