Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome Members back for the continuation of the Fifth Session of the 17th Legislative Assembly.
As we near the end of our term, it is only natural to want to look back at what we have achieved. While we have accomplished many of the goals and objectives we set for ourselves when we first met in October 2011, there is still more work to be done. Now is not the time to rest on our laurels.
We have a vision of strong individuals and communities sharing the benefits and responsibilities of a unified, environmentally sustainable and prosperous Northwest Territories.
We decided we would pursue that vision by strengthening relationships with Aboriginal and other governments to build a strong, sustainable future.
We committed ourselves to increasing employment opportunities where they are most needed.
We identified the importance of a strong, diversified economy in all communities and regions.
We agreed to address housing needs and to support our people to be healthy and free from addictions.
These priorities are not ends in themselves, Mr. Speaker. These priorities are important because they will help to create a territory where our people can prosper and thrive, a territory where our people can enjoy a high quality of life, good health and a healthy environment, a territory where everyone has the support they need to be full participants in their community and to achieve their aspirations for themselves and their families.
This Assembly has made good progress towards realizing our vision for this kind of territory. We have achieved devolution; we are implementing the Land Use and Sustainability Framework; we have plans to address poverty, mental health and addictions and community safety. We are supporting economic growth and diversification through the Economic Opportunities Strategy, Mineral Development Strategy and expected Oil and Gas Strategy. We are investing in our people through education reform and early childhood development.
But we cannot take this progress for granted, Mr. Speaker. Some of the challenges, like the high cost of living and the high cost of energy, have been persistent, requiring the attention of many previous Assemblies. Some of the challenges have arisen during our term, such as falling oil prices and slowing oil and gas exploration that threaten our economic growth and limit available jobs for Northerners.
Completing the work we started in 2011 so that Northerners have the opportunity to benefit from strong communities, a healthy environment and vibrant economy means maintaining the momentum we have achieved. It means keeping our focus and continuing to identify opportunities for dealing with the issues that matter to Northerners.
Addressing the high cost of living is one of those issues, Mr. Speaker. We know that many people across the North struggle to get by, especially in our smaller communities.
The Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to taking action where it can to address this challenge for all our residents. We have increased the minimum wage to ensure that working Northerners have a better chance to earn the money they need to live affordably. We have borne the increased cost of low water in the Snare Hydro System, sparing residents all across the Northwest Territories the increased power bills that it would have meant.
Of course, subsidizing energy costs is only a short-term solution, one that this government will ultimately not be able to afford. That is why we convened a second Energy Charrette last
December to look for new, practical ideas to address the energy question and address it soon.
We know that we cannot continue to rely on expensive, imported diesel. The cost is too high to our wallets and to the environment. Finding affordable and more environmentally-friendly alternatives to diesel generation will be an important part of our plan for lowering energy and living costs.
We know that there are opportunities for generating power more affordably in more communities. The Inuvik LNG project is proving to be successful, even with the cost of trucking fuel from British Columbia. As LNG supplies move closer to us, costs will drop and we can consider options for expanding to other communities along the transportation route.
We also continue to pursue renewable energy options. The Northwest Territories leads the country in the installation of commercial-scale biomass heating systems, many in Government of the Northwest Territories buildings. Not only does biomass hold out the promise of cheaper energy for residents, it also provides economic development opportunities for Northwest Territories harvesters and wood pellet manufacturers that we are supporting through forest management agreements.
We are also seeing success with solar and wind energy installations and have opportunities for mini-hydro in several communities.
Taking action to lower high costs will only go so far. Some of the factors that contribute to the high cost of living will always be outside our control, like the long distances between our communities and the climate we live in.
Where we cannot lower costs, we will have to find ways to increase the general prosperity of Northerners. People need good jobs and good salaries so they can afford to live in their communities, Mr. Speaker. We can achieve some of that through decentralization of Government of the Northwest Territories jobs, and we continue to make that a priority, along with an increased focus on regional recruitment.
At the same time, it is business that creates jobs, not government. Government’s role is to create a supportive environment in which businesses can thrive and create the jobs and economic opportunities people depend on. If we want to create sustainable, affordable communities, we have to continue our work to grow a strong, diversified economy in all communities and regions of the Northwest Territories.
A key part of that is investing in the kind of infrastructure the territory needs to support continued economic growth: communications infrastructure, energy infrastructure, transportation infrastructure.
Investing in this kind of infrastructure has been a priority throughout this Assembly. We broke ground on the Mackenzie Valley fibre line last month and are in our second season of construction on the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway, on schedule and on budget. We continue to develop our plans for completing the Mackenzie Valley Highway and are pursuing funding under the federal government’s New Building Canada Plan. We are looking at options for an all-weather road into the Slave Geologic Province, potentially linking up with a road in Nunavut.
This is a resource-rich territory, Mr. Speaker, but those resources are going untapped and Northerners continue to struggle when they should be enjoying the kind of prosperity that the responsible development of those resources can bring. We have an estimated $3 billion infrastructure deficit in this territory. We are already addressing this deficit to help transform potential into prosperity, and we need partners to join us.
Last week a delegation of Ministers, Members of the Legislative, Aboriginal leaders, business people and a non-governmental organizations’ representative took this message to Ottawa for our second NWT Days. In meetings with the Prime Minister, federal Ministers, embassies and stakeholders, and in media interviews, we talked about how northern resource potential can contribute to national prosperity. We also talked about the critical importance of infrastructure investment if we hope to realize that potential and the need for partners, like the Government of Canada and industry, to join us in that infrastructure investment.
The borrowing limit was also on the agenda for our discussions. Our ability to make any of the investments we have talked about will be severely limited with our current borrowing limit. I spoke to the Prime Minister about how the Government of the Northwest Territories needs the fiscal flexibility of a higher borrowing limit to be able to make the strategic infrastructure investments the territory needs for economic growth. I expect we will have an answer on our request by April.
We also talked about the need to consider the potential of the Mackenzie Valley as an energy, information and transportation corridor that can serve as a path to tidewater for northern and Canadian resources.
For 40 years our attention has been focused on finding ways to ship our resources to markets in the south with limited success. If we are going to benefit from them, we have to consider all our options for responsibly developing and moving our resources, including a northern option.
Talking to people about a northern option is an important part of raising the profile of the territory. Over the years, it has been hard to get national
attention for the Northwest Territories and its potential. People know about Ontario’s Ring of Fire and the job opportunities that until very recently have drawn Canadians from all across the country to Fort McMurray, Alberta. Few people seem to know what the North has to offer or why it might be in the national interest to invest here, and few people will invest here unless we work to promote our potential nationally and internationally.
Studying a potential northern corridor is one way to do that.
Northerners are already familiar with the potential here and have heard many ideas for responsibly developing and transporting our resources to market. Through the years the Government of the Northwest Territories has studied many of the ideas and is already moving ahead with projects like the Mackenzie Valley fibre line and the Mackenzie Valley Highway. We will continue with these kinds of investments in our infrastructure, and more.
But building up the infrastructure we will need to support economic growth will take outside investment, and competition for investment dollars is intense. Letting people know there are business opportunities here, and clearly describing them, will help to attract investment to our territory.
Being able to clearly describe the challenges and some of the unique considerations that will face anybody working in the North is a critical part of creating success. We have seen uncertainty and lack of information stall projects here before. Gathering the information and filling knowledge gaps by undertaking a comprehensive study is an appropriate role for government as we continue to promote awareness of this territory and its potential.
Casting a wider net and seeking new markets and business partners outside of Canada is also important. It was with that in mind that Minister Ramsay and I undertook our second trade mission together to China and Japan at the beginning of this year. If we need to work hard to get recognized on the national stage, we need to work even harder to get recognized on the international stage.
Asia represents huge market opportunities for Northwest Territories products and a potential source of investment in both infrastructure and resource development projects. Exports to China have increased $8 million, or 22 percent, since 2008, and there is already Chinese investment in Northwest Territories mining. The Japanese have shown interest in oil and gas and LNG and have previously funded the Mallik Gas Hydrate Project. On the tourism front, Aurora tourism visitations hit record highs in 2013 and 2014, and we have seen Chinese tourist visits double every year since 2010.
We have achieved this kind of growth by building relationships with potential investors and
government officials, and we continue to invest in those relationships to ensure the benefits continue.
Mr. Speaker, building a better future for this territory and its people has been a constant theme during this Assembly. Through the last three years we have advanced an agenda based on investing in our people, our economy and our environment to achieve that future. But it is a long-term project and the work will not end with us.
Tomorrow Minister Miltenberger will table the 2015-2016 budget. This will be the final budget that we will debate here as Members of the 17th Legislative
Assembly. This budget will give us an opportunity to take stock of what we have achieved in the past three years. At the same time, budgets are about the future and this is an opportunity to consider the future, our future priorities, our future plans and our future commitments.
As we enter the final months of this Assembly, Mr. Speaker, we will keep up the momentum that has brought us this far. We will complete the work that is near to completion and we will start identifying the opportunities that will let future governments take advantage of the work we have done. I look forward to continuing to work with all Members during the coming session and in the remaining months to achieve the priorities that have guided our work throughout the 17th Assembly. Thank you,
Mr. Speaker.