Mr. Speaker, it has been part of this government's platform to safeguard Canadian interests in the Arctic. The House will be very pleased to know that the government has fulfilled that mandate by appointing Mary Simon as circumpolar ambassador.
She is the first Inuk to hold an ambassadorial position and will begin on Monday, October 31. This government is also supporting what the committee heard from many witnesses across Canada, the establishment of an arctic council to protect the interests of the aboriginal people, of the environment, et cetera.
The government is committed to supporting such an Arctic council. We are also very interested in preventing other nuclear spills and in protecting the environment.
I knew the members would be very interested in the government's commitment to protecting the Arctic and especially the indigenous people in that part of the world.