Thank you to our guests for being here again today. I'll get right into the questions.
Northwest Territories Premier Robert McLeod is in Ottawa this week. He has criticized the government's one-sided and ill-informed decision-making, which has basically put everything they have built in the Northwest Territories in jeopardy. He's on record as saying:
The rest of Canada needs to realize we have people that live in the North as well, with dreams and aspirations and hope for a better future and we shouldn't be penalized because of where we live.... We shouldn't have to stop our own development so the rest of Canada can feel better.
The minister appeared before the committee earlier in this study. Time and again we have heard the same testimony from witnesses, that the consultation process has been inadequate. We have first nations in British Columbia who are coming out against this government's consultation process.
My question for you, Mr. Stringer and the department, is why is it that you're refusing to listen to our stakeholders?