Answer 3: When I was holding these hearings 35 years ago, the Dene and the Inuvialuit said to me: "Look, we have lived here for thousands of years, we depend on the animals and the fish and the birds, that's how we've made our living for thousands of years. We want to make sure that whatever happens, we can continue to hunt and fish and trap."

And they said: "Look, we know the explorers came to our country, we know that the government came, we know the priests came, we know that television came, we know that industry came, but we are still the same people."

It was remarkable. I still remember vividly how the Dene spoke up in every village, and said: "We are Dene. This is our country. We want to make sure that our land is protected no matter what happens."