Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My Member’s statement is on the wealth of the Northwest Territories, the wealth of enriching culture and resources, non-renewable resources.
When I was looking at the Sahtu atlas the other day, again I was looking at the amount of resources the Sahtu have to offer to the people of Canada and the Northwest Territories. I was thinking about this. How could such a rich country as the Northwest Territories, or even the region of the Sahtu or any other region in the Northwest Territories, how could we be so poor? We fight hard for people. How could we be so poor? We ask for houses that Mr. McLeod has given his ministerial statement on housing issues in the Northwest Territories. Or when the Minister of Health gives a statement of health in the Northwest Territories. Or even our Education Minister. How is our region here in the Northwest Territories, the Sahtu, so poor?
You know that in the Northwest Territories, the Norman Wells oilfield pumps about $500 million every year in oil down from Norman Wells to Zama. We pump $500 million a year. Yet there are things like health care, education, teachers, paved roads for the communities for dust for the elders. We aren’t able to get that. Now they’re looking at other potential oilfields, natural gas fields. They are in the billions, if we’re to get this pipeline and anchor them into the line. They are in the billions of dollars that this region of the Northwest Territories could have.
Even with the mining, they discovered tungsten up in the Yukon/Northwest Territories border. It’s the world’s largest deposit of tungsten. Even in solvent resources on the Yukon/Northwest Territories border there’s the lead and zinc discovery, the world’s largest. I will be having questions on this issue here on how the Northwest Territories, especially the Sahtu, can start benefiting from these resources in the North.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
