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(speech delivered April 22, 2012, Palais des Congres)

Good evening and welcome to the International Polar Year 2012 Conference.

I am pleased to be here to give you a quick snapshot of the Northwest Territories and share some of what makes us unique in Canada and in the world.

The Northwest Territories has a population of just over 43,000 people living in an area of over 1.3 million square kilometers - That’s bigger than the area of the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan combined.

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April 18, 2012 - I appreciate this opportunity to address the Northern Air Transport Association’s 36th Annual General Meeting. Aviation is an important industry in the North, one that requires a continuous dialogue between regulators, airport operators, and the aviation industry. Thank you for providing that forum – we all benefit from continuing our conversation.

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April 18, 2012 - Thank you. On behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories, I would like to welcome you here today. The inauguration of the Inuvik Satellite Station Facility antenna is another important step forward for the town of Inuvik and the whole Northwest Territories.

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April 3, 2012 - Thank you for that introduction, and good morning.

First off, I want to thank Chief Ed Sangris and Chief Ted Tsetta and the Yellowknives Dene First Nation for hosting us on your traditional Chief Drygeese Territory.  It is a pleasure to be here, and to have this opportunity to welcome you all here today, on this gorgeous spring day here in Dettah.

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(check against delivery) - March 19, 2012

Bonsoir et bienvenue à nos amis du Québec aux Territoires du Nord-Ouest. Cela nous fait plaisir de vous voir ici.

J’espère que votre visite, à date,  vous donne une idée des richesses que nous avons  à offrir. Comme vous le savez nous sommes ensemble pour discuter du potentiel incroyable des Territoires du Nord-Ouest.  Et, de voir comment, grâce à votre aide, nous pourrons libérer ce potentiel.

SPOTLIGHT ON NORTHERN INFRASTRUCTURE

THE MACKENZIE GAS PROJECT AND THE NEXT STEPS IN ARCTIC OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT

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Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Thank you to Brian Lefebvre for the invitation to join you and for the opportunity to say a few words this evening. It is a pleasure for me to be here this evening. I hope this is the first of many opportunities I have to talk with members of the Hay River Chamber of Commerce.  I always enjoy coming here to Hay River, where you can feel a very strong entrepreneurial spirit that is evidenced by the people in this room.