Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We know that this Assembly wants to foster vibrant communities, communities with healthy, educated residents. Well, local fishers in the community of Kakisa are working to do just that. A number of local fishers work hard to harvest fish from nearby Kakisa Lake. This fresh, fantastic and healthy northern product can be then sold in Hay River, bringing business to both the community and the wider region.
At first this may seem like small fry, but remember the community’s small population. Here, every catch counts.
The community has told me that they are hard at work promoting local sales. Residents are eager to promote local resources and to develop local employment opportunities. For the government, this is an opportunity for youth engagement, education and training like the successful Take a Kid Trapping program. Will the government act on this opportunity?
Small-scale commercial fishing like the kind done in Kakisa is hard work and often with small returns,
but still the community is looking to the future. For instance, they’re also considering possibilities in sport fishing.
In this session we have recently celebrated the launch of the new brand, NWT Fresh Fish from Great Slave Lake, designed to celebrate and promote NWT-based fishery initiatives both here in Yellowknife and in Hay River. I can’t stress enough the importance of encouraging and supporting local fisheries, not to mention education about the industry and its opportunities. Through this we can encourage both local food and community-based businesses. But even in our celebrations, I must be diligent. Communities like Kakisa may be smaller than our regional centres, but we must not forget their worth. These communities also need our support.