WHEREAS a Mackenzie Valley Highway through to the Arctic coast should be a strategic priority for Canada and is the final link to connect Canada from coast to coast to coast;
AND WHEREAS the Mackenzie Valley Highway is a strategic priority for the Government of the
Northwest Territories (GNWT) as documented in the funding proposal entitled Connecting Canada: Coast to Coast to Coast, submitted to the federal government in November 2005;
AND WHEREAS last fall the GNWT proposed a 10-year infrastructure partnership with Canada to cost-share the development of new economic infrastructure in the NWT that will create sustainable benefits for the NWT and Canada;
AND WHEREAS the GNWT has demonstrated its commitment to this priority through continuing investments in Mackenzie Valley bridge and grade improvements;
AND WHEREAS a Mackenzie Valley Highway would help to lower the cost of living in northern communities and contribute to their sustainability;
AND WHEREAS climate change trends in the NWT have and will continue to pose challenges by reducing the length of winter road seasons and by increasing the uncertainty of opening and closing dates of winter roads;
AND WHEREAS there are northern environmental and socio-economic review and permitting processes that would ensure that this project results in net benefits for Northerners;
AND WHEREAS a Mackenzie Valley Highway would enhance Canada’s national security and emergency response capability;
AND WHEREAS a Mackenzie Valley Highway would enhance the assertion of Canada’s sovereignty over the Arctic;
AND WHEREAS a Mackenzie Valley Highway would further the economic, social and political development of the NWT;
AND WHEREAS a Mackenzie Valley Highway would connect the Mackenzie Valley communities and Beaufort-Delta communities and improve access to services;
AND WHEREAS a Mackenzie Valley Highway would provide opportunities to diversify the NWT’s economy through expanded renewable and non-renewable resources development and tourism opportunities;
AND WHEREAS expanded renewable and non-renewable resource development in the Mackenzie Valley results in significant benefits of employment and business development outside of the NWT in provinces across Canada;
AND WHEREAS the construction of a Mackenzie Valley Highway should proceed through a call for expressions of interest from Northern and aboriginal businesses;
AND WHEREAS the federal government is responsible for the costs of constructing and maintaining new highways in the NWT;
AND WHEREAS the Dene Nation has acknowledged the importance of the Mackenzie Valley Highway during its most recent Dene leadership meeting in February 2009;
NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the Member for Deh Cho, that the Legislative Assembly strongly recommends that the Government of Canada immediately commence negotiations with the GNWT to conclude the proposed infrastructure partnership;
AND FURTHER, that the Legislative Assembly strongly recommends that the Government of Canada advance the funding and planning for a Mackenzie Valley Highway and consider this project as a national stimulus initiative that would be a lasting legacy for all Canadians;
AND FURTHERMORE, that the content and results of these proceedings be forwarded to the Prime Minister, the federal Minister of Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities, and the Member of Parliament for Western Arctic for their consideration.