Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The community of Aklavik has completed their Community Economic Sustainability Development Plan which shows that there’s definitely a need to give a different perspective of how researchers look at our communities. The Community Economic Development Plan is to remote Arctic communities such as Aklavik and the challenges that they face with the distance of the market and the high cost of living, cold climates, difficulties recruiting and retaining quality human resources to deliver programs and services, and the lack of economic development stabilized programs to provide economic opportunities.
Sustainability of such remote communities is important to the Inuvialuit, the Gwich’in, and non-indigenous people who live there. It is also important on the national front on the sustainability of Arctic communities and national sovereignty. The reasons of climate change and the effects that we’re seeing in the Arctic are more dominant than anywhere else in the world.
It’s important that we take a second look at how we deal with resource development, transportation, infrastructure needs, and dealing with local priorities. The community of Aklavik has identified a number of areas where this government and governments can really look at what the community priorities are and the values they put forward to improve the quality of life in their communities.
The Community Economic Development Stabilization Plan involved community members and can improve the community’s work towards achieving economic self-sufficiency. That’s what we’d like for all our communities. Ensuring that they have face-to-face surveys and questionnaires to all members in the communities where they went door to door to visit with the local residents to acquire this information shows that allowing the communities to take on these challenges and putting their perspectives forward can really show this is a real community plan.
At the appropriate time I will be asking the Minister of ITI questions on this matter.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
