Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to look into the future. I would like to express my constituents' concern over the comments that my colleague, Mr. Henry, made yesterday during his Member's statement. Mr. Speaker, as you may recall, Mr. Henry was rather adamant about the fact that his road to resources would start from Yellowknife and basically follow the existing route. I, on the other hand, feel this is not the most prudent or feasible solution. I would also like to thank the Mayor of Hay River for his comment and his vision of the future.
Mr. Speaker, for years Rae-Edzo has been in the shadow of Yellowknife. We have never lobbied to take anything away from Yellowknife, we have always been very good, cooperative neighbours and have watched Yellowknife grow and prosper. Now we have an opportunity that could benefit my entire region. If this road were to start from Rae-Edzo, badly needed jobs would be the first benefit. Secondly, it would allow for further expansion of our airport facility by establishing docking yards and storage areas, which of course would also create employment for our residents. Thirdly, by ensuring a good route to the Lac-de-Gras area we could also ensure that our smaller communities of Wha Ti, Rae Lakes and Snare Lake would receive benefits from employment and possibly by the fact that these communities could be connected to this road, which of course would provide a better way of life than is currently available to these residents.
As one can see, Mr. Speaker, by using Rae-Edzo as a starting point, the benefits are considerable. Now I ask, who benefits from having this road start from Yellowknife? I would venture to say a few businesses at the most or nothing else. I feel it is time for the rest of the NWT to reap some of the benefits that are available and not just Yellowknife. Let us share the wealth to benefit the entire western Arctic and not just a few businesses in Yellowknife. I also hope that my other colleagues will give us the much needed support to ensure this very important project benefits as many people as possible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
--Applause