Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m very pleased to see the expenditure in the budget to support the Sahtu. The impact of oil and gas development in the Sahtu is being felt throughout the Mackenzie Valley. Businesses in Fort Simpson and Wrigley have benefitted, but they are impacted, and local resources are stretched to the limit.
Recent weather conditions shut down the ice road into the Sahtu, and trucks were backed up all the way to Hay River. It was impossible to find a room in Fort Simpson until the road reopened. This is just one example of how the impacts on Nahendeh communities are noticeable.
Both territorial and federal governments need to recognize the effects of this development on our communities. We need federal support to respond to this rapid increased demand for resources on Aboriginal lands. The Nahendeh region has great potential for development itself, and will be a corridor to the riches of the central Mackenzie Valley if oil and gas development goes ahead in the Sahtu.
I see this as an opportunity to extend the Mackenzie Valley Highway north from Wrigley. An all-weather road has been needed there for decades. My people want to see this road become a reality. This initiative would receive strong support from industry and benefit the Northwest Territories as a whole.
Now is the time to start planning to ensure we have adequate infrastructure and personnel in our communities to address needs like health centres, policing and schools. We need to ensure that the people of Nahendeh benefit from the impacts on their communities. Increased business is good for the community, but it places added demands on staff, training, supplies and all local resources.
As my colleague Mr. Yakeleya has said, the federal government had made special provisions to introduce workforce development initiatives related to resource development on Aboriginal lands in provinces like Labrador with the Voisey’s Bay project. In fact, I think our own government spent millions on the Ingraham Trail, Highway No. 4, to service the diamond mines. Why not our region? This assistance recognizes lasting effects of development in our communities and our cultures.
All of these considerations make strong arguments for the Government of the Northwest Territories to assist our region, and to lobby the federal government for additional support to respond to the impacts of resource development. Mahsi cho.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
