Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Sorry about that. Last week in Yellowknife I had the pleasure of attending the Northern Governance and Economic Prosperity Conference that brought together indigenous northern government, business leaders, policymakers, social activists and economics under the theme Pathways to Prosperity.
The premise of the conference was to reflect on northern political institutions that could change to better adapt to various governance authorities while balancing the social and economic challenges. This was a tall task, but I must praise the work of the conference co-chairs, Mr. Willard Hagen, Dr. Stephanie Irlbacher-Fox and our former Premier Mr. Stephen Kakfwi for an outstanding job.
Both our Premier and Minister Ramsay had keynote addresses to the conference delegates. One key line that resonated well by Premier McLeod was: “We want a territory where strong northern governments work together in the best interests of all people of the Northwest Territories, while exercising their own authorities and respecting each other’s jurisdiction.” I commend the Premier for his consistent and strong message on behalf of the 17th Assembly.
I was also taken back by the size and the scope of the conference topics such as social suffering, managing and creating capacity, fracking, resource management and economic wellness. It was clear that the overarching theme of finding pathways to prosper was indeed befitting, given the economic setbacks faced by many in the Northwest Territories. One particular session I attended was called “Can territorial government foster economic wellness”. Particularly interesting was the premise that one could measure our economy by virtue of its wellness or social wellness. In essence, these governments that strive for strong social wellness behaviour had a much better capacity for achieving a stronger economic future; a simple message but a very meaningful outcome.
Finding ways to balance amidst poverty, political development and economic opportunity is no small feat. Yet, I believe this conference captured quite nicely all the major roadblocks at work while keeping a lens on prosperity.
Mr. Speaker, again, my congratulations for all the hard work behind the scenes in preparing for such a large-scale and successful conference. The delegates have all returned home and I know that many of them are using their newly minted tools for a better Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
