Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased that the government is investing additional funds into the NWT Tourism Marketing Strategy. Showing Canada and the world that NWT is a world-travelled destination is key in developing and diversifying our tourism economy in all regions.
I’m working with the mayor of Fort Simpson, Mr. Sean Whelly. He has an idea of a man that can swim the entire Mackenzie River and bring along international exposure. His name is Mr. Martin Strel, but you can call him Big River Man. He has swum most of the world’s longest rivers. In February 2007, Martin Strel began an insane attempt to be the first person to swim the entire length of the world’s most dangerous river, the mighty Amazon.
Martin is an endurance swimmer from Slovenia, who swims rivers – the Mississippi, the Danube and the Yangtze to date – and he has highlighted their pollution to the world. It also means that the Big River Man swam with alligators, piranhas, snakes, et cetera. Fortunately we don’t have these dangers in our North. Maybe the ferocious Jackfish.
It’s no surprise that we call the Mackenzie River the Deh Cho; it is a very big river. The Mackenzie River watershed is considered one of the largest and most intact ecosystems in North America, especially in the North. Our Mackenzie River is one of the longest pristine rivers and we should do what we can to use that as a selling point. There are many great communities and sights all along the Mackenzie River.
The documentaries on these courageous exploits have been seen internationally as he was shown by the National Geographic Channel and throughout many world film festivals. His films have been universally praised in all of these forums. This is the type of national and international exposure that we as the GNWT and our Tourism Marketing Strategy should support.
This would be a great idea to build on the momentum of NWT Day in Canada where we showcased our tourism potential. I envision that he will stop at each of our communities and we can have feasts and showcase local scenery and tourism stops. Hopefully, in Fort Simpson we can see him also go to the Nahanni National Park Reserve so that the world can once again see its beauty. Later today I will ask the Minister of ITI questions on how we can make this a reality.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
