Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last week, Minister McLeod and I had the honour to participate in the Deh Cho economic development conference forum in Hay River where I shared some of my thoughts with the delegates, and I would like to share some of these thoughts here today.
This economic development opportunity that is facing us today, namely the Mackenzie Valley gas project, is probably going to be the biggest single event that will impact our generation in the Mackenzie Valley.
In the past, the land took care of us. We hunted for our food. It sustained us. We trapped for our clothing. It sustained us. We gathered for our shelter. It sustained us. We also looked to the land for spirituality and it sustained us. Today, much has changed but the land still takes care of us through natural resources, economic development opportunities. In a way, the land still provides food, clothing and shelter.
Self-sufficiency means that we need little from others. We, as a people, must provide for ourselves. Once, many of our people used to live year round in the bush needing very little. This is our primary objective: to be self-sufficient once again.
I want to tell you a story I heard from a constituent. It was about two brothers who asked an elder what he thought about potential economic activity. When the first brother asked, the elder replied, what was your experience with your previous opportunities? The brother replied, it was awful. People were not working together. They didn't evaluate the impacts, made decisions without long-term consequences. The elder replied, this opportunity will probably be the same. The second brother asked days later. The elder replied, and what was your experience? The brother said, it was excellent. People had jobs. Communities grew. The people worked together to protect the land. The elder replied, this opportunity will probably be the same. Our elders work hard to try to give us all that we needed. The situation, although not perfect, has improved considerably since our elders signed a treaty. Today, socializing is also a business opportunity. As aboriginal businesspeople, we need to get out there. We need to reach out as much as we can. Our wealth is our lands, and we must respect it. We must make sure these lands are healthy when we pass it down to our next generation. We must have balance. It is not enough to say no to development. We must have an alternative. We owe it to ourselves, our ancestors and our youth. Every government needs an economy. If our communities with fixed economies continue to deteriorate for...