Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as Members know, my predecessor committed to pursue, on behalf of Members, several matters regarding the Arctic Winter Games and I wish to advise the Assembly of our actions on these matters.
Perhaps most significantly, arrangements are being made for a late summer or early fall meeting of elected officials from each jurisdiction participating in the Arctic Winter Games. The Honourable Richard Nerysoo, who represented the government at the Canada Winter Games in Grande Prairie, had an opportunity to discuss the need and importance of such a meeting with the Ministers responsible from Yukon and Alberta. They have agreed such a meeting is appropriate, therefore, I will be writing each jurisdiction with suggested dates and locations for the meeting.
As several Members noted during the last sitting of this Assembly, this meeting is critically important to decide the future of the Arctic Winter Games and to ensure its purpose and objectives remain consistent with broad participation and the development of sports in the north. Our concerns with the future hosting of the games will be brought forward at this meeting.
As I confirmed in response to the Member for Inuvik, Mr. Speaker, all Members have been invited to provide me with suggestions for our NWT representatives on the Arctic Winter Games International Committee. I look forward to these suggestions and will carefully review this important decision to ensure the best representation possible.
Mr. Speaker, my predecessor did request, on behalf of the Member for Inuvik, a copy of the Arctic Winter Games International Committee's evaluation of the host bids for the 1998 Arctic Winter Games. This information was received and passed on to both the Member and the town of Inuvik. The deputy minister met with officials of the town in early February and confirmed that, in the department's opinion, the town of Inuvik had submitted a competitive bid and could not be faulted for their efforts.
Mr. Speaker, the Arctic Winter Games is the single largest sporting event in the north. Over 2,500 NWT athletes participate in competitions leading to selection of our NWT team. The future direction of the games has a major bearing on sports in the Northwest Territories and I will continue to pursue this matter with the priority it deserves and look forward to reporting further to Members on our progress. Thank you.
---Applause