Mr. Speaker, with all of the exciting opportunities taking place here, we continue to think about the work that the Government of the Northwest Territories is doing to ensure that the people of the Northwest Territories benefit from resource development opportunities, and we keep coming back to one conclusion.
It is not about the number of oil and gas jobs we get. It is not about how many miles of pipeline we build, nor is it about how many millions of dollars in revenues we raise. The value of our work lies in being able to improve the lives of the people who live here. That is how our success should be measured in the years and decades to come.
All of us want to live in vibrant, stable communities, speaking our own languages and immersed in the rich, cultural fabric that is our heritage.
Our goal is to ensure that residents, both aboriginal and non-aboriginal, whether living in large centres or small communities, all lead healthy, productive lives and have the opportunity to raise their children in communities steeped in rich cultural and linguistic traditions. All of us must work to protect, preserve and enrich our cultures and our languages to ensure that we do everything we can to see that they continue and that they thrive. At the end of the day, it is all about preserving the unique identify of the Northwest Territories that sets us apart.
A gradual process is underway - we are gaining a new collective sense of identify as people of the Northwest Territories. I feel a responsibility as Premier to make sure that the work of this government contributes to that process in the months and years to come.