Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we live in a huge territory with a small population spread out over a huge vastness of land and water, so it's important that we develop our transportation infrastructure, and it's why we committed to three major road systems in our mandate.
Mr. Speaker, other mandate commitments include lowering the cost of living, more educational opportunities, more affordable housing, support for small business, and diversifying the economy. So should we spend money on roads, or on these other things? My answer, Mr. Speaker, is that roads will support these other important goals. Building roads will create jobs, and, yes, when the road is built, some jobs will end; but let's think about what comes after that, and how we can support communities.
We can plan for economic investment to support measured, manageable growth of local economies. We can help small businesses start up and grow as they gain affordable access to suppliers and markets. We can help them be ready for an abundance of new opportunities. We can plan for supports to help communities through social changes. We can ready families for better access to healthcare services, more educational opportunities, and access to lower-priced goods and services.
Families need to be able to connect and stay in touch. Communities like Whati understand the importance of inclusion and accessibility. Cultural gatherings, community festivals, and sporting
events are important elements of northern community and culture, which will be more easily available with better road connections.
Mr. Speaker, as long as people have to fly everything in or wait for the winter road, it will be harder to build new and affordable housing. Business start-ups will face tougher challenges or may not happen at all. Agriculture projects will be harder to achieve, and food security more distant. Everything from groceries to construction materials, clothing to books, vehicles, and fuel will cost more. Not to mention that winter roads are at increasing risk from climate change impacts every year, with increasing costs to build them and shorter seasons to use them. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted