Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I'm Greg Rickford and I'm the member of Parliament for the great Kenora riding. We have quite a few similarities in terms of the challenges of isolated and remote communities. We are probably about one-third the size of your riding, but span from just south of the Trans-Canada Highway to the shores of Hudson Bay.
My perspective has been enriched in this study to the extent that I've had the opportunity to work as a nurse in Arviat and formerly in Cambridge Bay. I do have a frame of reference that's quite local, and I have a number of friends who worked in your community.
I want to say from the outset that I share the view that Canada's long-term stability--socially, economically, and in so many other ways--won't just be more thoroughly developed through a greater understanding of a north-south perspective, but may very well depend on that moving forward when we make considerations for resource development and the like.
Before I get into some of the substantive questions, I want to get a few facts on the ground.
Your Worship, you must be experiencing some migration from the isolated communities in this region to Iqaluit. At this point in time, do you know roughly what percentage of the permanent population is from some of the communities in the outlying region?