Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise in the House today to inform Members that June 3-12, 2004, is National Transportation Week in Canada. The first week of June is designated annually as a time to recognize and celebrate the contributions that one million Canadians make to a transportation system that is recognized as one of the best and most competitive in the world.
The theme for this year's observance is "Transportation Innovation and Accessibility." It is a fitting focus for an industry where innovation has always been its hallmark. Canada has been at the forefront with advances in fuel efficiencies, transportation methods and safer, more environmentally-friendly transportation.
Mr. Speaker, in a geographically isolated region such as the Northwest Territories, where distances are great and the environment harsh, innovation is an essential qualification for survival, let alone prosperity. Northern transportation businesses and governments must be innovative in their practices and approaches to transportation issues and challenges in order to build a strong economy, stimulate economic development and improve the quality of life for all residents of the territory.
I am proud to say that northern workers and transportation businesses have earned a reputation that extends beyond our borders for development and applying innovative technology in many aspects of transportation operations. Over many years, a pool of expertise has developed within the territory that brings its collective knowledge and experience to bear on activities and projects of great importance to this government and to our residents.
The residents of the NWT, and thousands of visitors to our territory every year, benefit from the bold spirit, dedication and commitment to progress and excellence for which northern transportation companies and workers are known. Mr. Speaker, I know Members of this House also join with me in extending thanks to the employees of the Department of Transportation. They play a valuable role in providing a safe, reliable and efficient transportation system in the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, I invite and encourage Members of this assembly and the public to use this special week as an opportunity to learn more about transportation and its important role in our every day lives and to pay tribute to the men and women whose collective efforts make this vital sector such an important agent for growth and prosperity.
As the Northwest Territories continues to move forward economically and socially, it will be in no small measure because of the strength and vitality of a transportation industry that connects our communities and our people with each other and with the markets and communities in the rest of Canada and throughout the world. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause