Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question as it gives me the opportunity to update him and the House.
Since the Marshall decision last year a lot of progress has been made. I am happy to report to the House that we have 29 agreements with the first nations out of 34. Twenty-nine first nations have signed agreements. The government has made a major commitment with the $160 million initial investment to respond to Marshall.
I want to tell the hon. member and the House that conservation is a priority. We will ensure that we uphold the law, but we want to resolve these issues with dialogue and co-operation, not through confrontation.