Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act  Madam Speaker, in the previous government, Bill C-15 was created in 2014 with complete disregard for the land claims agreements. The Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act was created through the negotiations of land claims, and it certainly destroyed the trust factor with indigenous people in the Northwest Territories.

Infrastructure  Mr. Speaker, we know that northern communities face unique economic and environmental challenges as well as a lack of modern public infrastructure and that this government has plans to address these challenges. Investing in local green infrastructure projects helps grow the economy and improve the quality of life for those living and working in Canada's north.

Thaidene Nëné National Park Reserve  Mr. Speaker, our government has introduced amendments to the Canada National Parks Act in budget 2019 to take steps to establish the Thaidene Nëné national park reserve. I want to acknowledge the work done by our Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Government of the Northwest Territories and the community and people of Lutselk'e, the Dene and Métis in their historical territory.

Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member's history on this bill and the whole devolution process that happened in the Northwest Territories. I still think the devolution process has a long way to go. As I mentioned earlier, there are certain parts of the Northwest Territories that were off the table during discussions for devolving responsibility.

Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act  Madam Speaker, the member provided lot of information. The indigenous governments in the Northwest Territories have all done a lot of work in moving toward land claims and self-governance. Many have signed agreements, expecting the Government of Canada to honour its portion of the agreements.

Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act  Madam Speaker, while I can appreciate that the member has never been in the north, he seems to say quite a bit about this legislation, which has been worked on for many years. Some of the work started during the days when the Conservative government was in power. Therefore, a lot of the pieces in the bill were started many years ago.

Finance  Mr. Speaker, thanks to the hard work of Canadians, Canada's economy is strong and growing, creating well-paying jobs for the middle class and people working hard to join it. More Canadians are working, and families have more money to spend on what matters to them. Could the Minister of Finance please update the House on the next steps in our proven plan to strengthen and grow the middle class?

Indigenous Languages Act  Madam Speaker, the Northwest Territories is in a different position than the rest of Canada. In the Northwest Territories, we have recognized 11 official languages, nine of which are indigenous. We recognize the Inuit languages as official languages. I think we are going to see a lot of discussion on this issue.

Indigenous Languages Act  Madam Speaker, since I come from a colder part of Canada, for sure I have to be a lot tougher than he is in Alberta, where they get spoiled with warm weather. I cannot speak for the Premier of the Northwest Territories. I am going to assume that he is very excited that we are looking at coming forward with a strategy.

Indigenous Languages Act  Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Labrador. First of all, I want to say mahsi cho. Today is a great day. It is with great pleasure that I rise to speak in support of Bill C-91, the indigenous languages act. This legislation supports a revitalization of indigenous languages, which have deteriorated over the years because of the racist and discriminatory policies of successive governments.

Indigenous Languages Act  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the minister for bringing this important legislation forward. I come from the Northwest Territories. I grew up in an era when strapping and spanking was common practice in the school I attended for speaking any word that was not English. I am a product of that time.

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, I was pleased to welcome the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations to my riding. We travelled to Norman Wells to celebrate the signing of the self-government agreement in principle with the Norman Wells Land Corporation.

Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act  Madam Speaker, I heard the Conservatives mention a number of things in the last couple of hours regarding the north. They talked about oil and gas infrastructure in the Beaufort Sea. I should point out that there is no oil and gas infrastructure in Beaufort Sea. I heard them talk about sharing the resource royalties from the oil and gas, but there is none.

Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act  Madam Speaker, I want to remind the member that the issue before the House today is the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act and the Canada Petroleum Resources Act, which are very important to my riding. The member chose to speak mostly about Bill C-69. I also want to point out that oil exploration in the Beaufort Sea peaked in 2008.

Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act  Madam Speaker, we recently heard of the oil spill on the east coast and that the weather prohibited the clean-up. I am not sure how they will clean up that spill. Could the member tell me what he would imagine would be a clean-up process for an oil spill in the Northwest Territories in the Beaufort Sea.