Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the most important priorities facing this 16th Legislative Assembly is developing a plan to improve
northern infrastructure. This plan should help facilitate our economy and improve mobility so we can improve the quality of life for a lower cost of living for our people. This is particularly true in the more isolated and remote communities, many of which currently lack year-round road access. For example, my home community of Tuktoyaktuk has no year-round road access but is served in the winter months by a 187-kilometre ice road constructed by the Department of Transportation.
Mr. Speaker, the construction of an all-weather link to Tuktoyaktuk has been talked about for as long as I can remember. It started far back in the 1960s by the federal government. This road is linked to the rest of Canada, the Arctic Ocean to connect the country from coast to coast to coast. It was an important priority in previous transportation strategies prepared by the Government of the Northwest Territories, such as the road could form part of the system running down the Mackenzie Valley from Wrigley to Tuktoyaktuk. That would provide an all-weather road access for the communities to facilitate resource development in the Mackenzie Delta, the
Mackenzie Valley and the Delta. Mr. Speaker, this road would have many positive benefits for the people in the Northwest Territories. It would eliminate costly reliance on air transport, winter ice roads, barging, shipping of supplies and materials for development of projects and community resupply. It would provide more efficient, reliable transportation systems to explore and develop gas deposits in the Mackenzie Valley, the Sahtu and the Beaufort regions. It would dramatically increase tourism potential to the beautiful part of the country. The first phase…Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to proceed with my statement.