Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This government and territory is on the verge of making a big decision come the New Year, and that’s in regard to the Inuvik-Tuk highway. There has been a lot of debate and a lot of discussions, both in the media and this House as well as in the communities. Some discussions were talked about and it seems like this is a new project. This is not a new project. This project itself has been on the federal government books since the 1970s, and more recently within this government since the late 1980s. It just happens that today with this government, the 17th Legislative Assembly, we’re dealing with the facts of making it a reality, and that’s our responsibility. On top of that, we do have strong support from the federal government as well.
This is not a project that is just going to stimulate the economy in the area of the Territories that really needs it at this time but, rather, it’s an investment; an investment into the communities of Tuktoyaktuk, Inuvik, the Beaufort-Delta region and, more importantly, for this territory and even Canada, as it will bring the country from coast to coast to coast.
Not only that, but we’re also looking at big projects such as the fibre optic link, offshore drilling and a big piece of the Mackenzie Valley Highway, which are all priorities of this government as we move forward.
As we move forward on this project, I want to encourage the government that when this project comes to task and we have to start looking at making decisions, that this government works with our Aboriginal groups up in the Beaufort-Delta region so that everybody gets a piece of the pie, so that everybody gets jobs and gets to be part of this big process. As well, in the design and the makeup of this project working with our local contractors, who have done great work up in the Beaufort-Delta region, in the communities, on the road system, and being part of making this project become reality.
I would also just like to thank all the leaders that have been part of this process to make it a reality, all the regional leaders up in the Beaufort-Delta region and throughout the Northwest Territories. It’s a long, drawn out process, a lot of debates, a lot of discussions going on, and I appreciate the hard work, commitment and dedication that they have to see this big project come through.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
