Mr. Speaker, as we begin the final sitting of the second session of the Legislative Assembly, many people are looking back at the past two years and our mandate successes. We have many successes to look at, and we will discuss them in more detail during this sitting. Right now, I want to look in a different direction, Mr. Speaker. Today, I want to talk about the future of the North.

When I think about what the Northwest Territories will look like in 20 years, I see a healthy and prosperous territory built on northern strengths and advantages. I see residents who have good-paying jobs built on...

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, September 21, 2017, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, that Tabled Document 419-18(2): Proposed Mandate of the GNWT 2016-2019 (Revised) be referred to Committee of the Whole for consideration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am very pleased to report that, under this MOU, we will continue to work together with Alberta to fully implement the Alberta-Northwest Territories Mackenzie River Basin Bilateral Water Management Agreement, which was signed on March 18, 2015. These trans-boundary water agreements are seen as the most comprehensive of their kind, not only in North America, but possibly in the world. This is an example of what can be achieved when our two jurisdictions work together. I think, with safe drinking water, 80 per cent of the water of the Mackenzie River Basin comes through Fort Smith, so it...

The basis for the agreement is that there's significant potential for community and economic development in the region and in those communities. Certainly the MOU identifies education, training, skills development, and regional and community development as a priority, and the MOU will reduce barriers to employment and also increase labour mobility between our jurisdictions. We've seen in the past, where there's been substantial development in Alberta and we've been able to have people in the North go and work there, and certainly we'll make sure that the credentials and so on will not be a...

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to recognize my wife, Melody McLeod, wife of 44 years, and I can remember that because it is my residential school number. Also, sitting beside her, I was going to say her sister, but she looks like her sister, Jane Dragon from Fort Smith, also the recipient of many awards. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 438-18(2): Empowering Local Governments." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'm a strong believer that, if we pontificate on something, we should make sure we get the facts right. In this case, it is a permanent ban and the Prime Minister has written to me to confirm that and, as well, he has stated that they would review the need for a moratorium every five years. I've also written to him expressing my concern about the fact that we have had no responses to our request to get on with a negotiation of offshore management. He wrote back and indicated that he has put together a reviewed team led by Minister Carr and Minister Bennett in which they will be undertaking a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There have been over 100 wells drilled in the Beaufort Sea and we have not had a blow-out like they have had in the Gulf of Mexico. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, there's an old saying about shutting the barn door after the cows have left the barn. We have no oil and gas development production going on in the Northwest Territories as of this date. If you look around the territory, there's not one drop of oil being produced. A large part of this is the oil and gas moratorium in the Beaufort where everything is shut down and, since then, there's been no other oil and gas development. People have lost confidence in their ability. If the federal government can wipe away trillions of dollars of oil and gas in one swipe, then how do you expect...

The Member is quite quick to put words into my mouth, but I'll set the record straight. We were a bit opposed to the process and approach that the Government of Canada took to impose a permanent moratorium and ban on oil and gas drilling in the Beaufort Sea. That's what we're opposed to. We have wanted a system that would be safe and protect the environment. We believe in balance, development, and to permanently ban oil and gas drilling without input from people most affected without any economic development strategy in place to offset the jobs that would be lost, to leave trillions of dollars...