Mr. Speaker, last month I travelled to China with my colleague Mr. Robert Hawkins and business delegates from the Northwest Territories as part of the Council of the Federation Trade Mission. The business representatives from the Northwest Territories were Don Bubar, president and CEO of Avalon Rare Metals; Mark Downey, CEO of Fur Harvesters Auction Limited; Verda Law, the operations manager of Yellowknife Tours; Huizhong Yang representing Blachford Lake Lodge; and Yanny Cordero, project development consultant.
This mission was intended to secure trade and investment opportunities and we have already had follow-up meetings with business representatives from China who travelled to Yellowknife shortly after we returned from China. I also had the opportunity to meet with the consul general from China in Calgary soon after returning from China, and committed to speaking with the over 20 Calgary-based corporations in the near future. The Government of the Northwest Territories will be developing a strategic approach to our ongoing involvement with China and I look forward to input from Members of this House as we move forward with that process.
Building relationships with Chinese leaders, expanding markets for our products and encouraging investment all strengthen and diversify our economy, a priority of the 17th Legislative Assembly.
While the Northwest Territories has participated in trade missions to China in the past, this was the first time we participated as part of the Council of the Federation. We benefited greatly from this approach. It gave us a higher profile, and I participated in productive meetings with the Chinese Vice-Premier, Minister of Finance and others.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Robert Hawkins, the members of the Northwest Territories business delegation and the businesses that supported us in preparing for this important trade mission.
Partnering with Northwest Territories businesses to promote our territory internationally makes sense. Working together allowed us to leverage additional opportunities to meet with Chinese leaders and businesses. As a government, we have an important role to play in showing countries such as China that we are committed to supporting business and development to flourish.
China is a growing segment of Canada’s global trade market, especially tourism, oil and gas, diamonds, mining and wild fur harvesting.
Tourism is a huge draw for the Chinese market and many people are interested in authentic cultural experiences and viewing the northern lights. We have experienced good growth in visits by Chinese tourists, from fewer than 20 visits a year to 300 a year, since Canada received Approved Destination Status from China in 2010. During the mission, the Chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Travel Agents gave us advice on how to build a market within China, working closely with the travel trade. We were fortunate that the managing director of the Canadian Tourism Commission for China had recently visited the Northwest Territories and was very enthusiastic.
We also met with potential Chinese investors and business partners to discuss ways to diversify the Northwest Territories economy and keep the territory prosperous. The meetings focused on the potential for developing Chinese markets.
We saw great interest in our oil and gas resources and our mineral resources, including some positive developments for Avalon Rare Metals. They are leading the Nechalacho Rare Earth Elements Project near Thor Lake, which is now ranked as the largest rare earth deposit outside of China. Members from our delegation met with representatives from the jewellery industry, including Chow Tai Fook, the largest jewellery company in Hong Kong. They confirmed their interest in Northwest Territories diamonds and diamond mining.
We also visited a world-leading solar panel manufacturing facility that designs, develops, manufactures and markets high-output, cost-effective solar products for electric power applications. Exploring the use of environmentally friendly alternative energy solutions is part of the Government of the Northwest Territories’ ongoing commitment to reducing our dependence on imported diesel and lowering our greenhouse gas emissions.
Chinese interest in Northwest Territories wild furs is another opportunity to further diversify the economy. China is the world’s leading manufacturer of fur garments, and demand for our high-end wild fur is high and increasing year after year. Our fur is always in high demand at auctions, with China as one of the top buyers. The Yuanlong Fur and Leather Company president, Mr. Li Qing Yuan, met with us and told us they are anticipating growth in the sector due to high-end fashion outlets and designers using wild fur as accent pieces on garments.
Now is the time to build on the opportunities that opened up as the result of this mission. I look forward to seeing the benefits of this work reach our territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
