Mr. Speaker, I also share the views of the hon. member regarding hearing the community's point of view in making this decision.
As the government speaker said, keeping the integrity of the Tuktut Nogait is of the utmost priority. I also come back to the point that there are two additional proposed areas for this park, the Nunavut area and the Sahtu area.
No discussion or reference has been made to these two regions because the bluenose herd requires the entire region for its protection. The community of Paulatuk and Inuvialuit settlement region are compromising their lands to create this park. There is no assurance that the other lands will be included in future park expansion with the existing bill. There is no reference to this. The speaker did not mention this at all.
I would beg that this government make this clear to the people in Paulatuk who are reconsidering a new economic opportunity by the anomalies that have been discovered, the distance they are from the surface. The anomaly inside the park is of prime mineral extraction.
I also go back to the agreement that says protecting the herd is most important because for generations the people of the north have been provided life and sustenance by this herd. I believe this herd can still sustain life in the northern regions of this country without compromising the ecology, practices and traditional way of life of the people of the north.
This government has made a parks agreement with the people of the Inuvialuit settlement region. The agreement includes job creation, training for the people and human resource development and also the environmental and ecological creation of eco-based tourism that the people of the north could benefit from. This agreement gives them first opportunity to gain access into that sort of industry.
There are also agreements in the park legislation for creation of co-management to include the people in making decision on how the park is developed, land use decision and development within it.
There is the question of adjusting the boundaries to gain access to minerals. Our party has always spoken in favour of creating and keeping the integrity of the parks. We cautioned this government during creation of the Cheviot mine neighbouring the Jasper National Park.
In other regions of the world parks also have a sphere of influence surrounding them for the integrity of the species and the ecology. If this were taken into account in this country the development of Banff, the development of Jasper and also the mineral extraction neighbouring some of these parks would be scrutinized in a different light. I think that should be done. A short term gain of mineral extraction and the impact it leaves in most cases must be taken very seriously.
For the time being I challenge the government to include in the Tuktut Nogait national park all the proposed boundaries and clarify to the people of the north that the entire park and its proposed boundaries will be included. It would be like if we live in an urban centre and the local government decides to put an easement between people's properties it is not fair that the local government make an easement on my property first before it makes a total easement on all the properties affected.
In dealing with the Inuvialuit settlement region let us be fair with them. Let us be up front with them that they are not going to be the only ones comprising their lands to create a national park for this country. We must be up front with them and tell them that the Nunavut settlement region and the Sahtu settlement region will also be contributing to this huge national park which has a better chance of keeping the integrity of the ecology and also the integrity of the bluenose caribou herd.