Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Louis Cardinal ferry needs to be a higher priority. The Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway will be finished later this year, opening the region to industry and bringing more traffic to the ferry crossing.

Mr. Speaker, the Louis Cardinal is an old vessel. It's been sailing for close to 45 years. There has been talk of replacing it with the Merv Hardie ferry, Mr. Speaker, but the Merv Hardie is even older. Things have changed a lot in Mackenzie Delta in the last 45 years. Transportation technology is improving. Instead of retrofitting an old ferry, we could look at a new one, and we should, with increased capacity for passenger vehicles and B-trains hauling fuel and freight.

Mr. Speaker, we already see long lineups at the Mackenzie River crossing, especially when there are special events in the communities, like the Midway Lake Music Festival, for example. Vehicles could move across more efficiently on a larger ferry. We could also look at a vessel with efficient engines and other capabilities suited to harsh winter conditions.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' new air tanker fleet is a good example of how the government invested in new technology that will have measurable improvements and serve the Northwest Territories for many years to come.

Mr. Speaker, constituents in Tsiigehtchic raised the need for a new ferry at a recent constituency meeting. They want a vessel that could welcome tourists, have more fuel-efficient engines as we look forward to being connected to the Arctic coast. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted