Mr. Speaker, earlier this week I attended the Western Premiers' Conference in Whitehorse, along with the Premiers of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nunavut, and Yukon. The conference is a forum to discuss issues that are of interest or concern to all seven western provinces and territories.
This year, we started our informal discussions with Deputy Chief Darla Jean Lindstrom, of the Carcross/Tagish First Nation. She had a very simple message for Premiers: If we work together, we are stronger together. She also spoke of the importance of working together with Indigenous communities to achieve the goal of economic reconciliation. The deputy chief's comments provided an excellent foundation for our meetings, and we kept her words in mind as we tackled some difficult issues facing western jurisdictions. We spoke about the cost of living, disaster preparedness and response, economic prosperity, economic corridors, economic reconciliation, electrification and energy security, Canada-US relations, public safety, and Arctic security.
During our public safety discussions, I highlighted the need for more actions to be taken to address increased crime, particularly drug trafficking, and Premiers agreed that more must be done to strengthen the bail system to keep drug traffickers off the streets. We also recognized that we must continue to find innovative ways to address the root causes of crime and addiction, which are often based in trauma.
We spoke extensively about the economy, including the fact that Western Canada should be a major force in the mining and processing of critical minerals. By collaborating in this area, we can help reduce dependency on those countries seeking to dominate the world market. We discussed how we can work together across our supply chain, with investment from the Government of Canada and other democratic countries, to mobilize this opportunity together.
I made sure to note, that in addition to western provinces and territories, Indigenous governments must be considered key partners in advancing this potential. It was agreed by all that Indigenous engagement and participation is fundamental to unlocking economic opportunities across a wide range of sectors and vital to advancing strategic infrastructure projects in Western Canada.
We also found common ground on Arctic security and agreed the path to strengthening the Arctic requires investment in critical transportation, energy, and telecommunications infrastructure that supports healthy, vibrant communities, and economic growth. Western Premiers welcomed the federal government's announcement of the defence policy update, noting that new defence investments and working towards meeting the NATO target of defence spending equal to 2 percent of GDP are an opportunity to strengthen the military presence in the North, support multi-use infrastructure, and protect Canadian sovereignty across the Arctic and northern regions.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciated the support the Western Premiers expressed for investment in the North, and their willingness to work with the Northwest Territories on areas of common interest. I look forward to continuing to work with my provincial and territorial counterparts at the Council of Federation, which includes all 13 of Canada's Premiers, when we meet in July. I also look forward to hosting the Western Premiers Conference here in the Northwest Territories in 2025. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Premier. Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.
