Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, as Members of the Legislative Assembly and as Cabinet Ministers, it is important that we always remember that our job is to serve the people of the Northwest Territories. I was born and raised in the Northwest Territories, and I am proud to be from Fort Providence in the Deh Cho. I spent more than 30 years in public service working to build a strong and self-reliant territory for our people. I am now in my third term representing the people of Yellowknife South and have been chosen by my colleagues to serve on Cabinet in all three terms, including the honour of being selected Premier twice, the first person in the history of our territory to return as Premier. My small community roots and travels throughout the territory have helped me learn what the people care about the most. They want jobs and a strong economy, Mr. Chair. They want safe communities and a good future for their children and grandchildren. They want to be healthy and educated, and they look to us here in the Assembly to support them in those aspirations. These are things that I have been working steadily towards for my entire career, and they continue to be priorities for me today.
I am proud of the work I have been a part of as a Member of the Legislative Assembly, as a Cabinet Minister and Premier, and what we have achieved by working together. You will hear in more detail from Ministers today about the good work that they have done to fulfil our mandate, but I wanted to highlight a few areas that are particularly important to me.
Addressing the needs of our people and communities is a priority for me, and I am pleased with the work we have done on this. Some of our achievements including holding health fairs in 18 communities, establishing regional wellness councils, and holding regional and territorial early childhood development workshops. We have completed construction of the Mackenzie Valley fibre link, connecting the people of the Mackenzie Valley to new services and business opportunities and positioning our territory to be a leader in the knowledge economy.
We have begun to address homelessness with Housing First pilot projects in Behchoko, Fort Simpson, Aklavik, and Yellowknife. We have partnered with the K'atlodeeche First Nation and K'asho Got'ine to provide housing for their residents and establish local housing organizations in Gameti, Whati, and Fort Liard. We are addressing the needs of elders with new seniors' supported independent living units in Aklavik, Fort Liard, Fort McPherson, Fort Good Hope, and Whati, and we are responding to the need for long-term care beds with plans for facilities in Norman Wells, Hay River, and Yellowknife in the next three years, as well as additional facilities in Inuvik and Fort Simpson.
We are investing in new health facilities in our communities, including the $300-million Stanton renewal project, which is on schedule to be completed during this government. We are successfully bringing government closer to the people that it serves through our single window service centres and through Cabinet open houses in every region.
We are also doing significant work to address the issue of climate change and the high cost of energy in the Northwest Territories. In addition to completing renewable energy projects in six communities, we have also been working to outline our government's long-term approach to energy and plans for addressing climate change. Early next year, we expect to table a new energy strategy and a climate change strategic framework, both informed by extensive public engagement. We continue to invest in jobs and the economy, Mr. Chair, particularly through infrastructure investments to support further economic development and diversification. This includes the $20-million Canyon Creek Road in the Sahtu, the Tlicho all-season road, and work to increase access to the Slave Geological Province, and completing the Mackenzie Valley Highway.
Next month, Members will have the opportunity to be part of the opening of the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway. The Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway will bring new opportunities to the people of Tuktoyaktuk and complete a decades-old vision of connecting Canada by road from sea to sea to sea. We recognize that diversification is critical to the sustainable economic future of our territory and continue to work to expand economic opportunities in all regions and communities. Just one example: our efforts, including trade missions to China, have significantly grown aurora tourism and helped make tourism one of the fastest growing renewable sectors of the economy.
Finally, Mr. Chair, creating certainty around Aboriginal rights and land ownership in the territory would be a major accomplishment for us, and we continue to make progress in all regions. Most significantly, our government was able to make innovative new offers to the Akaitcho and Northwest Territories Metis Nation earlier this year, and I am hopeful that deals are very close. We also continue to pursue negotiations with the Dehcho First Nations, and I remain hopeful that we can find a path forward there.
Mr. Chair, when Members voted unanimously to adopt the first ever mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories in March 2016, we all made approximately 200 commitments to the people of the Northwest Territories that we said we would complete during our four-year term. Nearly halfway through, we have made progress in all areas of our mandate. We have completed 53 commitments, and another 145 are in progress. Only two of our 200 commitments are in the planning stages. I am pleased with that progress, Mr. Chair, and confident that our record speaks for itself.
I am also pleased with the work that my Cabinet colleagues have done during the first half of our term. We have a good team that combines the unique strengths of each individual to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. I look forward to working with them under whatever circumstances Members decide on today.
I do recognize, though, that we cannot rest on our achievements or lose our focus. I also know that there is always an opportunity to do better. Today's mid-term performance and mandate progress review is an important opportunity to check our progress and recalibrate our efforts for the remaining two years of our term. Mr. Chair, we all share responsibility for the achievements and accomplishments of this government. Every Member has a role to play and can take credit for what we have done.
I look forward to hearing from Members today about how they think we have been doing and which areas need a renewed focus. On behalf of Cabinet and myself, I thank Members for their support and contributions to date, and should Members express confidence in my leadership and Cabinet's performance, we will continue to work with you to create the strong, healthy, and prosperous Northwest Territories our residents expect and deserve. Thank you, Mr. Chair.