Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, rail transportation to the North is a topic we don't hear a lot about and it's not very often talked about in this House. However, today I would like to bring some attention to rail transportation in the North. As we all know, rail transportation in the NWT was put in place back in the mid-60s when Canadian National built a rail line to serve Pine Point Mine. It's kind of ironic that CNR would build a railway to service a CP mine, but that's what took place.
Back in those days, Mr. Speaker, the railway was known as the Great Slave Lake Railroad and I have many fond memories of the Great Slave Lake Railroad, having worked for them for some 30 years. Mr. Speaker, although Pine Point Mine no longer exists, rail transportation is still a very important link to our infrastructure in the Northwest Territories and the role that it will play in future developments that we have going on in the Territories right now.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday I had the privilege of attending a meeting in Hay River on that very issue, rail transportation to the Northwest Territories and the role it will play in future developments, specifically the Mackenzie Valley pipeline or the mining industry, the role that it plays in the resupply of many northern communities and for the mines right now.
Mr. Speaker, there were many representatives at that meeting yesterday. There were representatives from Transport Canada; from Alberta Transportation; Northern Alberta Development Council; the economic development officer for the county of Grand Prairie; the mayor of Grand Prairie was there; the mayor of High Level; the chair of the Mackenzie Municipal Services Agency; the vice president of Mackenzie Northern Railway, which is now known as Rail America but operates under Rail Link in Hay River right now; the mayor of Enterprise; the mayor of Hay River; representation from NTCL and representation from our very own Department of Transportation. I would like to thank the Department of Transportation of this government for initiating that meeting yesterday and starting some talks between railway people and different businesses.
One of the very important topics that was discussed yesterday with the representatives from Alberta was the need to work together and the acknowledgment that whatever development happens in the North, whatever is good for the NWT, is also good for Alberta. It is very important that we are aware of everything that is happening and support each other in that endeavour. One of the other representatives there was a guy from Hay River, who is an entrepreneur promoting a passenger train to go from...