Mr. Speaker, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is responsible for promoting energy conservation and the use of energy-efficient technology in the Northwest Territories.

Reduced energy consumption not only helps northerners deal with the increased cost of fuel, but it helps reduce the impact of fossil fuels on our environment.

Between 1996 and 2001, greenhouse gas emissions from the Northwest Territories rose by 60 percent, related to the increase in major development in the Northwest Territories. However, the NWT accounts for a very small portion of Canada's total annual greenhouse gas emissions: less than .3 percent. On a per capita basis, the NWT releases 40 tonnes of emissions per person per year, significantly higher than the national average of 22 tonnes per person per year.

These emissions have the potential to cause a change in our climate, which could significantly disrupt the global environment, and affects our ability to lead healthy and productive lives.

This government supports global and local actions to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases believed to cause climate change. These global actions include the Kyoto Protocol negotiated under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Northwest Territories has a responsibility to contribute to the Kyoto Protocol and support Canada's position as a leader amongst nations in protecting the global environment.

We are aggressively working to control greenhouse gas emissions. The Greenhouse Gas Strategy identifies a wide range of initiatives and proposed actions to achieve this.

I have met with the federal Minister of the Environment, the Honourable Stephane Dion, a number of times in the past few months to continue to work towards a bilateral MOU for cooperation on addressing climate change with the Government of Canada. Through the MOU we will be requesting a federal partnership fund to support hydro development in the NWT. We are hoping to be able to sign an MOU in early December at the Eleventh Conference of the Parties, COP11, which is a major international United Nations meeting on climate change being held in Montreal.

We are committed to working with the federal and provincial governments to develop an equitable approach to Canada's international commitment to reduce national emissions to six percent below 1990 levels by the year 2013.

Actions to control greenhouse gas emissions in the Northwest Territories are being developed in cooperation with a broad range of stakeholders. These actions will reduce the negative impacts of greenhouse gas emissions on our health and environment while minimizing negative impacts on our economy and taking advantage of the economic opportunities arising from the use of more efficient equipment and materials. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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