Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to advise Members of the Legislative Assembly that His Royal Highness Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton will visit the Northwest Territories this coming July as part of their royal tour of Canada.
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Yesterday, officials from the Department of Canadian Heritage contacted the Government of the Northwest Territories to advise us that the royal couple was specifically interested in visiting our Territory while they are in Canada. We were delighted to hear of their interest in the NWT and certainly look forward to welcoming them this summer.
Details of the visit have not yet been determined. The GNWT will be working closely with Canadian Heritage in the coming weeks to plan the NWT portion of the trip and ensure the royal couple have the experience of a lifetime while they are here.
Mr. Speaker, strengthening awareness of our northern identity and uniqueness by promoting our successes, our culture, our arts and our languages with a proud and unified voice is one of the priorities of this Assembly. Our experience with the Northern House at the Vancouver Olympic Winter
Games last year proved that people have a great interest in the North. The people of the Northwest Territories know we live in one of the most remarkable places on earth. The upcoming royal visit presents us with an opportunity to share that with the rest of the world.
We know that there is already intense interest in the Prince’s upcoming wedding and that the royal visit will receive extensive national and international media coverage. A visit to the NWT this summer will allow us to showcase the best our Territory has to offer, including our world-class tourism opportunities, our diverse cultures, traditional and contemporary arts and crafts, and the huge economic and investment potential represented by our mineral, energy and other resources.
We are honoured to know that of the many places in the Commonwealth that the royal couple could visit, the Northwest Territories is near the top of their list. We are looking forward to hosting them in July and having the opportunity to introduce them and the world to what the Northwest Territories has to offer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, Mr. Robert McLeod.
