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On behalf of Premier Bob Mcleod, and the Government and residents of the Northwest Territories, my congratulations today to DeBeers Canada, Mountain Province Diamonds and those of you who make up the great Gahcho Kué mine family.
The official opening of this mine marks the latest chapter in our proud 25-year history with diamonds in the Northwest Territories.
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Thank you all for taking part in this week’s celebration of business in the North, and in particular, the Northwest Territories.
My thanks to the NWT Chamber of Commerce for their work in organizing this conference, and for the opportunity to share some thoughts with you today.
The NWT Chamber has asked me to address the topic - What Lies Ahead?
Le ministre de la Santé et des Services sociaux, Glen Abernethy, a fait la déclaration suivante concernant des préoccupations récemment exprimées dans la presse locale. Bien que le ministre ne puisse pas faire de commentaires sur un cas particulier, il déclare ce qui suit :
Mr. Speaker, the Mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories commits to improving care for our people through integration of the health and social services system. We are working towards building a unified Health and Social Services System that will deliver the best possible care for our residents. We have made significant investments in this work through our system transformation and I am pleased to announce that we are now reaching some important milestones.
Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has made a commitment in its Mandate to capture opportunities for investment in transportation infrastructure by working to secure funding to advance the Tłįchǫ all-season road.
Mr. Speaker, today I provide an overview of how GNWT departments, the Federal Government and the water boards collaborate to ensure high quality drinking water is provided to residents across the Northwest Territories. I also want to highlight some of the innovative work being done to support community drinking water systems.
Mr. Speaker, the film sector offers extraordinary opportunities for NWT residents to share their stories, landscape, and talent across diverse audiences.
Furthermore, the economic multipliers of film production are among the highest of all active industries in the NWT with seven jobs created for every million dollars spent.
Grand Chief, elders, community leaders, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today. It is a pleasure to be back in Jean Marie River and to see many familiar faces.
There have been a few changes since the last Dehcho First Nations Annual General Assembly.
A new Liberal government was elected in Ottawa and my brother Michael was elected to represent the Northwest Territories as part of that government. This is the first time in many years that the NWT has been represented by a Member of Parliament that sits on the government side.
Mr. Speaker, as stewards of the land, we have a responsibility to make prudent decisions about how we use, share and protect it in a way that reflects the values and priorities of our residents. This includes the air we breathe. Historically, air emissions and air quality management in the Northwest Territories have been unregulated. The Government of the Northwest Territories is now proceeding to occupy this regulatory field.
Mr. Speaker, the GNWT has made a commitment in its Mandate to finalize the Recreational Land Management Framework and a plan for the Yellowknife periphery area. Engaging with NWT residents while doing this work is critical to making sure public land will be managed in a manner that is transparent, consistent and reflects public values. This has set the tone for the approach that the Department of Lands has taken in developing both a NWT-wide Recreational Land Management Framework, and a recreation management plan for areas around Yellowknife.
