Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Second to none, Fort Providence is home to the biggest horseflies in the Northwest Territories. They are nasty, vicious biters which cut through the skin to feed on blood. Swarms of mosquitoes and sandflies also leave itchy bites and cause some people to suffer allergic reactions. These bugs are attracted to movement, bright colours and carbon dioxide in our breath.
The Government of the Northwest Territories leaves it up to municipalities and hungry birds, fish and frogs to work out their own abatement programs. In the interests of health, tourism and our economy, we need to launch a nontoxic pest control that does not involve telling people and animals in the NWT to always wear light colours and stop breathing. The fact that large-scale solution lies in bug biomass, an innovation that will benefit our communities, improve our economy and help solve other issues along the way.
Vehicles hit thousands of horseflies along the highway all summer, requiring motorists to scrape carcasses off their vehicles after every trip. The attack on mosquitos and horseflies that get drawn to a vehicle was that these and an equally irritating child is enough to make even the keenest tourists want to jump off the Deh Cho Bridge.
---Laughter
I urge the departments of Environment and Natural Resources and Industry, Tourism and Investment to install giant insect traps in all of our small communities so we can collect bugs and use them along with wood pellets to heat our homes and public buildings. As technology advances, soon we will be able to harness living insects and use them to produce power as they buzz around inside small generation units instead of our windows, screen doors and picnic tables.
Bug biomass helps us tackle the issues that get under our skin. Harvesting this natural resource reduces fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, eliminates the need for pesticides, attracts tourists, and increases the number of happy campers and blissful buffalo, bears, caribou and other animals who are also harassed by bugs. Rest assured there will be still plenty of insects to feed all the birds, frogs, dragonflies and spiders up and down the food chain for generations to come.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
I would like to take this opportunity to wish my colleagues, constituents and all the residents of the Northwest Territories a safe and enjoyable summer. Wear sunscreen and don’t let the bugs bite. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
