Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Two weeks from today the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games will begin and Canada will be front and centre on the world stage. Shortly after that, Vancouver will play host to the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. More than 80 countries will be participating in these games and they will attract over 10,000 journalists and three billion television viewers from around the world. With so many visitors coming to Vancouver and so much attention focussed on Canada, the 2010 Olympic Winter Games represent an ideal opportunity to let the world know about the tremendous potential that exists in the Northwest Territories. An opportunity like this doesn’t happen very often. Mr. Speaker, it has been 22 years since Canada last hosted the games and it makes it all the more important that the NWT is represented in Vancouver.
Our priorities as a Legislative Assembly include promoting a strong and diversified economy and increasing awareness of our unique northern identity. NWT residents know that our Territory is rich in resources and economic opportunity. We know that the NWT has some of the finest tourist attractions in the world. We also know that our Territory is home to a diverse mixture of cultures and many talented artists and performers. Our plan is to make sure that the rest of the world knows about it too, and we are taking full advantage of the profile created by the games to promote the NWT as a place to live, visit and invest.
Members may have already heard some of the activities the Government of the Northwest Territories is undertaking to promote the NWT and showcase our art and culture at the Olympic Games. We have already begun a northern marketing campaign in partnership with the governments of the Yukon and Nunavut to attract attention to Canada’s North. Members will also probably be aware of Canada’s Northern House, another joint initiative of the governments of the NWT, Nunavut and with participation of the Government of Yukon. By working together, the GNWT has been able to leverage its investment in promoting the NWT and will be able to extend the reach of our marketing campaign beyond what each territory could have done on their own.
The Government of the Northwest Territories will also be actively promoting our northern art and culture at the games. We have assembled delegations of traditional and contemporary performers and artists who will be travelling to Vancouver to showcase northern talent. A team of Dene and Inuit games athletes will be on hand to show off our traditional games and activities to southern and international audiences.
From the beginning, the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee, VANOC, has worked hard to make these Canada’s games. Part of that effort has been a commitment to showcase each province and territory. NWT Day on February 19th will be the highlight of the GNWT’s effort to promote the NWT at the games. On that night, performers will take the stage at the B.C. Place stadium to deliver a performance that will showcase the best of NWT culture, including traditional drumming, dancing and fiddling as well as contemporary performances.
We are also taking advantage of the opportunity presented by the games to promote leadership development of our youth of the NWT. We have selected a group of 34 youth ambassadors from across the NWT who will be in Vancouver promoting the NWT to visitors and media as they work at Northern House and venues around the city. Similar programs the GNWT has offered in the past have shown that an experience like this can have a major influence on the lives of our youth and help them develop important leadership skills.
Taking advantage of the high profile of the winter Olympic Games to encourage our children and youth to lead healthy, active lives is another part of our Olympic effort. We are doing this through our Right to Dream Program, which is being delivered on our behalf by the Aboriginal Sports Circle of the NWT. Through the Right to Dream, Olympic-related activities and events held in communities across the NWT will help teach our youth about the benefits of participation in sport.
Mr. Speaker, these are the highlights of some of the activities the Government of the Northwest Territories has undertaken as part of our involvement in the 2010 Winter Games. The departments of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Municipal and Community Affairs, Education, Culture and Employment and Executive have been working together for more than a year to make sure that we are prepared to take full advantage of the opportunities the games present to us. Over the next few weeks, I’m sure you’ll hear more about our plans and activities from the individual Ministers as they highlight the activities of their own departments. We are confident that our efforts will help create investment and economic development in the NWT, encourage tourism and open up new markets for our artists and performers.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, Members may have heard yesterday that Hay River athlete Brendan Green was named to Canada’s Olympic Biathlon Team.
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Brendan continues a tradition of representing the NWT that began in the 1972 Olympics in Sapporo, Japan. He is one of several talented NWT athletes poised to make their mark on the international scene. We should be proud of all our NWT athletes and I would like to invite Members to join me in wishing Brendan the best of luck on behalf of all the people in the Northwest Territories as he competes during the Olympics. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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The honourable Minister of Education, Mr. Lafferty.
