Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what we refer to as the Slave Geological Province is a large area that's mostly within traditional Tlicho territory. On June 7th, 2021, the Tlicho government wrote to the federal government requesting a regional study, and I'll quote from that letter to explain because they said it best.
The health of barrenground caribou and the ecological integrity of this region are critical for Tlicho wellbeing. We recognize that the region has great value for cultural wellbeing, way of life and caribou, and the region has great value and potential for economic development. The Tlicho government's view is that in order to reconcile these values, we need an independent assessment of options, impacts, and benefits before permanent infrastructure is built. Permanent infrastructure, such as the Slave Geological Province Road proposed by GNWT, would irreversibly change the region. Starting to build a road or major infrastructure without working together to develop a common vision, and without the information needed to inform wise decisions, means long delays, lost time and money, severe impacts on wildlife and the environment and missed economic opportunities. There is only one chance to get it right. End of quote.
So it took nearly two years, but the federal Minister finally responded in February of 2023 agreeing to set up the regional studies. Since then there have been discussions about a governance structure but no work on the study has yet started. Meanwhile, the GNWT has been going ahead with planning work for the Slave Geological Province Road. Last December, the Department of Infrastructure got a land use permit for geotechnical work to help determine routing. The previous Infrastructure Minister from the 19th Assembly indicated that the GNWT intended to push forward with the SGP Road Project even if it meant triggering a separate environmental assessment to be conducted at the same time as the regional environmental assessment is underway.
Mr. Speaker, like the phrase death by a thousand cuts, the integrity of our land and our caribou is weakened by one little cut at a time, and we don't see the overall cost when we look at each cut in isolation. There's tremendous value in looking at the region more holistically and waiting for the recommendations from the regional study before we irreversibly change such an important region. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Members' statements. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
