Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to speak about the need to invest in the biggest asset of the Northwest Territories -- our people.
Mr. Speaker, for many years we have focused on the resource sector, mining and oil and gas. In the last 20 years, we have turned to diamonds. Our natural resources are world class, and they have done well for us. As much as 30 per cent of your GDP comes from these resources, but nothing lasts forever.
In Yellowknife, where famously the gold was paved with streets, the two founding gold mines are now closed. Imperial Oil wants to sell off its Norman Wells assets after a hundred years of operations. Fossil fuel prices are low worldwide. Corporate headquarters are moving South, and we are entering the declining years of some of our diamond mine projects.
These prospects all sound pretty gloomy. The challenge for us as leaders is not to be discouraged by the bad news, but to creatively seek new opportunities for growth.
That means focusing on our greatest asset. As I mentioned, that is our people. Our people are expanding the economy into new areas every day. We have a growing agricultural sector, with a new agricultural strategy on its way.
Our new film rebate program is encouraging Northerners to create original, ground-breaking works of art, including an original award-winning feature film and a couple of new television series. We have newly published authors and musicians releasing original works that are turning heads at the highest levels across the country. We have entrepreneurs investing in tiny homes. Our tourism numbers are at an all-time high and climbing and our fish and furs end up in markets around the world.
There are many areas with great potential for diversifying the economy. So we, as leaders, have to make it possible for people to thrive in these areas.
That is why we must take every possible step to drive the cost of living down. We must develop our transportation infrastructure so goods and services can move freely and more cheaply.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Unanimous consent granted.