Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to bring some emphasis to how important the oil and gas development is to Hay River. Hay River had a taste of the excitement that can be created by oil and gas development. In the early 70's, I was there for about five years, and indeed it was a busy time for Hay River. They had visions, Mr. Speaker, of Hay River growing to approximately 15,000 people. In fact, Hay River took steps to put infrastructure in place to support that population.
We all know what the Berger Inquiry did, and how everything was put on hold. I might add, Mr. Speaker, that Hay River had very little input into what was contained in the Berger Inquiry.
Since that time, Hay River has very little to celebrate. Yes, we have had the Northwest Territories Power Corporation move to Hay River, but the impact of that was reduced considerably by the fact that we lost NorthwesTel as a main centre.
When diamond mines were first introduced to the North, Hay River businesses spent a lot of money in attending meetings and preparing for what they could possibly gain from the diamond industry. A lot of those businesses came away empty handed because of their location.
I hear every day, Mr. Speaker, how well situated Hay River is for oil and gas development, how well it is equipped with infrastructure to support that development. However, Mr. Speaker, that infrastructure was taxed to the limit in the early 70's, some of which was in better shape at that time than what it is today.
When asked about funding for infrastructure in Hay River, the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development stated that they cannot do anything on speculation. I am under the impression, Mr. Speaker, that oil and gas development in the North has gone beyond being speculative.
Speculation did not stop the Government of the Northwest Territories from spending millions of dollars in preparing for the diamond industry. The four advisory positions in the oil and gas sector that are being proposed by the government, one of which is located in headquarters, and one in Fort Simpson, does nothing to assure me that Hay River is being considered as a major point for the oil and gas industry.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.