Mr. Speaker, the employees of the Government of the Northwest Territories are dedicated to the work that they do and are committed to the success of their communities. Hundreds of employees spend countless hours giving back to their communities through volunteer work during their personal time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this moment to recognize all of the employees who volunteer in their communities. How we take care of one another is what shapes the character of our communities and what makes the North unique and special.

Good morning.  My name is Bob McLeod and I am the Premier of the Northwest Territories. It is great to be back at this forum for the second time. I am pleased to be able to offer some remarks before you dive into the complicated topic of how best to support and fund infrastructure in the North.

Good morning. My name is Bob McLeod and I am the Premier of the Northwest Territories.

It is great to be here today and to see some familiar faces for what I hope will be an engaging discussion.

As Premier of the Northwest Territories, I have a responsibility to ensure that our government is making decisions that support our vision of creating a prosperous sustainable future for all of our residents. I firmly believe that to achieve that vision we need to draw on the things that have historically made us successful and take those strengths to the next level.

Check Against Delivery

Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome my colleagues back to the Legislative Assembly for the continuation of the Third Session. This will be a very active sitting for us, as we continue making important decisions to create a strong future for the Northwest Territories.

With one year left in our term, we are getting into the home stretch for the 18^th Legislative Assembly.

Leaders from the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT), Indigenous governments (IGOs), Katlodeeche First Nation (KFN), their economic development representatives and a representative from the Government of Canada concluded meetings in Inuvik yesterday where they had discussions focused on identifying concrete ways to work together to create a prosperous and strong territory, while still respecting the Aboriginal, Indigenous and individual rights, legal authorities and priorities of each government.

Northwest Territories Premier Bob McLeod issued the following statement today on next steps on future Arctic oil and gas development:

“The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) welcomes an announcement on offshore development in the Arctic Ocean by federal Minister of Intergovernmental and Northern Affairs and Internal Trade Dominic LeBlanc and Minister of Natural Resources Amarjeet Sohi.

The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC) and the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) today announced their support for the development of gas resources in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region to ensure the energy security of communities in the Beaufort Delta.

Ministerial Travel

Please note that travel schedules may change with little or no notice. This schedule is accurate as of October 1, 2018.