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Good morning and thank you for being here for the NWT Economic Partners' Collaboration Symposium.

I am pleased to see so many faces in the room. These types of events are important to the economic health of our territory. They give us an opportunity to speak openly about the challenges we’re facing, and work together to come up with suggestions about how best to address them, while still respecting the individual rights, legal authorities and priorities of each government.

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Good afternoon and thank you for being here today for the signing of the memorandum of understanding between our two governments. It’s good to be back in Inuvik for the 2019 Arctic Development Expo; and here for this event today.

This is an important event and the Premier sends his regrets, as he is unable to attend today’s signing.

I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge Grand Chief Bobbie Jo Greenland-Morgan, our emcee David MacMartin and all the staff who are here to witness this today.

Mr. Speaker, this Assembly made a mandate commitment to improve food security in the Northwest Territories through the effective co-management of wildlife including caribou. Our government is therefore taking significant steps with our co-management partners to support the recovery of our struggling barren-ground herds, including investing an additional $6.8 million over five years for conservation and recovery efforts.

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to speak about a new partnership between the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation and the De Beers Group - a partnership that will help house some of our most vulnerable citizens.

Mr. Speaker, last week was Disability Awareness Week in the NWT, as well as National AccessAbility Week across the country. It is a time to promote inclusion and accessibility in our communities, and to reflect on what we can all do to make sure that everyone is able to contribute to and be a part of community life. With that, I’d like to provide an update on the Government of the Northwest Territories Disability Action Plan 2018/2019 - 2021/2022, which was tabled in October 2018 and is the final deliverable of the Disability Program Review and Renewal Project. 

Mr. Speaker, a high-quality education system is one that ensures that student wellness and the development of a positive sense of identity are promoted and embedded in school experiences, programming and environment. 

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories is following through on its mandate commitment to strengthen connections with public and private sector partners in transportation infrastructure. 

 Given our vast geography and harsh climate, Northwest Territories communities and businesses rely on the aviation industry for the safe and reliable delivery of people, goods, and services.

Mr. Speaker, one of this government’s top priorities is the safety and well-being of children and youth receiving Child and Family Services. This includes making sure we maintain a child’s connectedness to family, community and culture.

We have learned from our experiences, through internal and external audits, through engagement with Indigenous governments, and through feedback from stakeholders that we need to better manage, resource, structure and sustain changes implemented under the Building Stronger Families Action Plan.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the athletes, coaches, chaperones and most importantly all the volunteers who are making their way to Hay River for the annual Northwest Territories Track and Field Championships.

At 1:00pm today events will commence making this the 29^th Anniversary of one of the Northwest Territories premier sporting events.  I, along with some of my colleague from the House will be in attendance for the opening ceremonies tonight.