Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there has been much talk of development in the Northwest Territories. Knowing our certain fiscal situation, it is very important we get on with developing our resources in cooperation with aboriginal governments of the Northwest Territories. It is time we worked together to benefit all residents of the Northwest Territories. Gone are the days when we could make a decision on our own, as a government or as a land claim group. Now is the day when we have to work together to benefit all residents, to provide employment and long term benefits. We are aware that recently the aboriginal leaders in Fort Liard, as stated in the motion, have agreed to work together to pursue the development of a natural gas pipeline down the Mackenzie Valley. I think this is a very important step that we, as a government, get on board, to assist them, and work along side with them. To pursue this, to see this potential developed so that northern residents will benefit from this development.
Mr. Speaker, especially coming from an area for example in the Mackenzie Delta, we went through a boom and bust cycle of the early oil development where we saw the Inuvik region balloon out to almost 7,000 people in the community alone, at certain times during this cycle. But at that time, Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories' people were not ready to assume ownership of a lot of the companies that would take care of the work. A lot of the people, at that time, took positions such as camp attendants, labourers, light equipment operators. Now, Mr. Speaker, we have a lot of people who worked through that era and have developed themselves into business men who have new businesses that can take on the type of work that can be done here. We have aboriginal groups who have settled claims and those that are working on settling claims who can take on the job that is being provided here and provide true benefits to northern residents.
I think this is a move, as we have talked about, to work with aboriginal governments of the Northwest Territories. We can come together from this area and show the residents and the rest of Canada we have got it together. We are going to work together and bring results; not just talk about it, but bring results. This is very important today, Mr. Speaker.
We can no longer, as we are finding out as a government, totally depend on Ottawa. As we heard in the federal budget speech, there are some changes happening. But the net impact on the Northwest Territories will not cover the cost of doing business in the Northwest Territories. It grows every year. We, as northern residents, have to come together in a common theme to develop our resources that keeps our environment safe, that see jobs being developed in the Northwest Territories, not just short term, but long term as well, that sees the training being done at an acceptable rate that will not leave people out until the last part of the job is being done.
Gone is the day, Mr. Speaker, where we are the ones that fetch the water and chop the wood, so to speak. We now have the expertise in the Northwest Territories to be able to sign the contracts, to do the legal work. Mr. Speaker, this is an opportunity for us as the Government of the Northwest Territories to work along side the aboriginal governments. To show our own people, to show Canada, and to show the world that we are able and we are ready to march into the new millennium. Thank you.
-- Applause