Mr. Speaker, I could read the letter again as suggested but it is unnecessary.
I will simply point out that the hon. member has obviously not read the letter. The chief negotiator, Mr. Fortier, did not say what has been implied by the member in the preamble to his question.
What he said was that we are faced with an extremely difficult situation because of American attitudes and the American political system and in his view the unwillingness of the United States federal government to impose its will, whatever that might be, upon the states involved, Alaska and Washington.
That is an understanding which the Canadian government shares. We have full confidence in Mr. Fortier. He was our negotiator for the last four years.