Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I usually stand up here and talk about what the government is doing wrong. The way I see it, that is my job. It is the job of the Ministers to stand up and talk about everything they are doing right. Mr. Speaker, today I thought I would give the government a break and actually celebrate the good work they are doing.
Yesterday, the GNWT released its strategy for revitalizing the Great Slave Lake commercial fishery in Hay River. It was unveiled by the Minister of ITI and the president of the NWT Fisherman's Federation. The unveiling was attended by local fishermen, both of Hay River's MLAs, and Town of Hay River councillors and representatives, representatives of the Chamber of Commerce of Hay River, the media, and local residents. The development of the strategy, which has been years in the making, has been a collaborative effort between the government and the Fisherman's Federation. The strategy forecasts sales to increase from about $1 million to $6 million over the five-year rollout, but that is just the beginning. If we consider the possibilities for secondary products, we could be looking at an industry worth tens of millions of dollars in the future.
I am usually not a fan of strategies or action plans, because I see them as an excuse to plan rather than to do. I am happy to say that I have seen the work that ITI officials are doing in the South Slave in conjunction with local fishermen, and although the strategy was just unveiled, the work is well under way. There is still much to be done, but I see sunny days ahead for the commercial fishing industry in Hay River and the NWT.
That is it, Mr. Speaker. No cheeky comments, just a bit of good news and a kudos to the department and my fellow MLA from Hay River. Thank you.
