Madam Chairman, this probably does not relate directly to a program or a service provided by my department, but it does relate to a very important principle, and that is the principle of inclusiveness.
We live in a country that occupies the second largest land mass on the face of the earth. We run from sea to sea to sea, from the same latitude as the state of California to the North Pole. This is a huge land, a very diverse, far-flung land. There are parts of it that can sometimes feel pretty remote and pretty left out simply because of the sheer force of distance.
I take the member's representation seriously and I think it applies to every minister in our government. We need to work hard in every way we can, discharging our responsibilities so that people in the northern part of Canada in Yukon or Nunavut or the Northwest Territories can feel plugged into their nation and wanted and very much respected by their nation.
We do a lot of work on behalf of DIAND and indeed on behalf of the Department of National Defence in terms of northern Canada. One of the interesting activities being undertaken by Defence Construction Canada has to do with remedial work on the DEW line, which is obviously extremely important in the member's part of Canada.