It is good to be with you here today, and I want to thank Darrell Beaulieu for inviting me to join you at this NWT Indigenous Leaders Economic Forum.

Thank you. I’m pleased to be here with you today to talk about investment and economic development opportunities in the Northwest Territories that I believe are in the national interest.

Today’s discussion is a continuation of the national discussion about the future of the North that I kicked off when I issued my “red alert” in Ottawa a little over a year ago.

At the time, I was very concerned that southern Canada and the federal government were taking the Northwest Territories economy for granted.

Le ministre de l’Industrie, du Tourisme et de l’investissement, Wally Schumann, tient par la déclaration suivante à féliciter les lauréats de la deuxième remise des prix MAX pour l’exploration et l’exploitation minières aux TNO.

« L’exploitation responsable des ressources est au cœur de l’identité ténoise. C’est le moteur de notre économie; elle génère des milliards de dollars en possibilités commerciales pour les entreprises locales et assure des milliers de bons emplois de la classe moyenne à notre population.

Mr. Speaker, over the last five years the Government of Northwest Territories has worked in partnership with people and organizations across the NWT to better understand and meaningfully address the root causes of poverty in this territory. This outreach supports our mandate commitment to reduce poverty in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has made a mandate commitment to implement the 2030 Energy Strategy. This includes renewable and alternative energy solutions and actions that the GNWT and our partners will undertake to meet targets for greenhouse gas reductions in heating and power generation as well as a 10-year strategy for investing federal and other funding towards energy projects.

Mr. Speaker, six community governments in the Northwest Territories had an election on October 15^th, 2018. These elections took place for all of our communities with City, Town or Village status, including the City of Yellowknife, the Towns of Hay River, Fort Smith, Norman Wells and Inuvik and the Village of Fort Simpson.

There were 87 candidates in total, vying for 52 available seats. The large number of candidates shows that there is keen interest in the local level of government and that individuals want to serve as leaders and decision-makers for their community.

Mr. Speaker, access to housing continues to be one of the most serious issues for people in the Northwest Territories. Many new players are coming to the table with a new interest in addressing this need and roles and responsibilities for housing delivery continue to change and evolve. Our government is committed to working with other governments and housing stakeholders to implement northern solutions for northern housing to help address our high cost of living.

Check Against Delivery

Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to provide an update on the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs’ progress on our mandate commitment to develop and implement a Northwest Territories Physical Activity Strategy. This strategy will promote community wellness and encourage individuals and families to lead healthy lifestyles through the promotion of physical activity.

Check Against Delivery

Mr. Speaker, the numbers are in and I’m pleased to say that the Northwest Territories tourism sector continues to lead our territory’s march to a more diverse economy. Even on the heels of what was an extraordinary year of growth, in 2017-2018, we have, once again, seen our tourism numbers climb.

Check Against Delivery

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to highlight and celebrate the 2018 inductees into the Northwest Territories Sport Hall of Fame.

The Northwest Territories Sport Hall of Fame was created to honour athletes, coaches, officials and contributors to sport from all parts of our society. Sponsored by the Sport North Federation, the Hall of Fame shares the history and the impact of our greatest contributors to sport.