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Mr. Speaker, earlier this month, the 20th Legislative Assembly affirmed its commitment to building a strong economic foundation. 

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Mr. Speaker, I want to start by congratulating everyone who was nominated for 2022 and 2023 NWT Outstanding Volunteer Awards.

This program was introduced in 1991 to recognize exceptional volunteers and highlight the importance of volunteerism in the Northwest Territories. I am proud to say that over 1,000 individuals and groups have been nominated for these awards since that time.

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Mr. Speaker, there has been a lot of discussion in this House, and across the Northwest Territories, about the 2023 wildfire season.

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Mr. Speaker, March is Rendez-vous de la Francophonie, a nation-wide celebration of French language and culture.

This year, the Government of the Northwest Territories has teamed up with our Francophone partners CDÉTNO, Collège Nordique, and La Fédération
franco-ténoise to deliver a contest and celebrate our vibrant Francophone community, so be sure to visit the Education, Culture and Employment website for more details at the start of March.

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Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories formed the Marine Transportation Services, or MTS, division in 2017 to ensure that remote communities on Great Slave Lake, the Mackenzie River and the Arctic Coast would have continued access to essential, everyday goods. After seven sailing seasons providing reliable, this commitment has not wavered.

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Mr. Speaker, one in five Canadians experience a psychological health problem or illness in any given year. Only 23% of Canadian workers feel comfortable talking to their employer about a psychological health issue. Today I want to share how the Government of the Northwest Territories is recognizing the importance of our employees’ psychological health and safety.

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Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to revitalizing the Great Slave Lake commercial fishery.

The Northwest Territories has a long history of commercial fishing. From the 1950s to the 1990s, production varied between 750,000 and 2 million kilograms per year. But in the last twenty years, production has declined due to several factors that reduced fishers’ incomes while the cost of fishing went up.

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Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories continues to work to address the national shortage of health professionals that has led to service reductions and system impacts not only in the NWT, but across the country. Post-pandemic, this shortage has only intensified, with many health professionals resigning, retiring, or reducing their working hours. The results of our internal staff surveys and feedback sessions indicate that employee recruitment and retention challenges persist within our system.

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Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise the House that the Honourable Member for Thebacha, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, will be absent from the House today to meet with Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Indigenous leaders on the Project Finance for Permanence in Ottawa, Ontario.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Mr. Speaker, transportation infrastructure plays a crucial role in connecting people, ensuring effective supply chains and creating opportunities for economic growth.

Today I would like to highlight recent successes in our continued efforts to improve the transportation networks towards to improve accessibility and road safety across the territory.