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Good Evening,

Your Excellency Ambassador Luo, Consul General Wang, Hon. Robert R. McLeod, Premier, Members of the Legislative Assembly, distinguished guests and Ladies and Gentlemen.

My name is David Ramsay and I’m the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment. 

It is my pleasure to be your MC for this evening.  

I am honoured, on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories, to welcome everyone here this evening.   I would also like to extend a special welcome to the Ambassador of China to Canada’s, His Excellency Luo, with his delegation from the Embassy in Ottawa and the Consulate in Calgary who are visiting the Northwest Territories for the first time. The Premier has lead various Trade Missions to China and the Northwest Territories wants to continue to build on our friendship and good relations with your country.

To begin our evening, I would like to call upon the Yellowknives Dene Drummers to do a a welcome song. It is said the drum is the Dene culture and represents unity of self, others, the spiritual world and land.  To grasp the drum is to maintain integrity and to live life to its fullest.  The drum is the voice and the language of the Elders speaking to the Dene.

I will keep my remarks brief as tonight is a great opportunity for mingling, learning from one another, and hopefully seeing another great Aurora Borealis show in case you did not get your fill last night.

China and Northern Canada may seem worlds apart but both are places where innovation and inventiveness thrive. We also face unique sets of challenges and opportunities and evenings like this give us a chance to bridge our efforts and make the most of our collaboration.

Our territorial government has been taking steps, especially in recent years, to build the relationship between the NWT and China.

In January, Premier McLeod and I led the second trade mission of NWT business representatives and government officials to China and Japan. Our delegation included NWT tour operators, partners in our fur and fashion industries, and a member of our territory’s diamond manufacturing sector.

Last year senior officials specializing in mineral resources also had the opportunity to travel to China to attend the China Mining and Exploration Exchange and engage with local industry. The visit was successful and they plan to return again this year as exhibitors.

I see a variety of members from our local business community here this evening and they too are taking this collaborative approach.  This group includes tour operators and guides who cater specifically to the Chinese market, individuals with a background and knowledge of our world-class diamonds, as well as our hardworking local business owners.

As Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment I have the opportunity to work with and learn from this group regularly. They know, better than anyone, the benefits of cooperative partnerships and strong relationships.

Our relationship with China is one that we place great value in and look forward to developing.  There is much we can learn from this economic power-house and much we have to offer as well.

Let’s continue to work together to build a bright future together – for our visitors, our residents, and our businesses.