Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this winter is the last chance to drive the seasonal ice road between Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk. Next winter, the frozen path will be replaced by an all-season overland highway, a project that has been planned for decades.
Mr. Speaker, the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway is an extension of the Dempster Highway, a famous road that follows an old dog sled trail and gets its name from Royal Canadian Mounted Police Inspector William John Duncan Dempster.
In 1958, the Canadian government decided to build a road through the Arctic wilderness from Dawson City to Inuvik when oil and gas exploration was booming in the Mackenzie Delta and the town of Inuvik was under construction. Mr. Speaker, this is one example of how important road infrastructure is to all regions of Northern Canada and its people.
In 1959, there was another significant oil discovery at Eagle Plains and a highway across the Arctic Circle would be needed to transport equipment and infrastructure. Construction began in January 1959, but the highway's high costs and unresolved problems between the federal and Yukon governments slowed progress until the project was abandoned.
Then, huge reserves of oil and gas were discovered at Prudhoe Bay in 1968. Canada was afraid that the United States would develop the vast oil field without consultation, consideration, or benefits to Canadians and it wanted to assert sovereignty over the Arctic.
The Dempster Highway was officially opened on August 18, 1979. During the 2011 election campaign, former Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced his intention to complete the highway with a 140 km extension to Tuktoyaktuk.
Mr. Speaker, construction of the all-weather road has put hundreds of surveyors, equipment operators, and labourers to work. Residents of Tuktoyaktuk will benefit from a lower cost of living, as goods can be shipped year-round. There will be greater access to healthcare and educational, social, and recreational opportunities in the region. Residents are inviting the rest of the world to come to visit.
This year, the NWT promoted a unique selection of winter tourism packages:
● The Sunrise Festival, including dog sledding, ice road tours, and an overnight at a cabin outside lnuvik;
● The Canadian Arctic Reindeer package, which involves observing a reindeer herd visiting Tuktoyaktuk; and
● Welcome the Sun, from January 6 to 8, where visitors can catch the first view of the sun after 30 days of Arctic darkness.
Mr. Speaker, the lnuvik Tuktoyaktuk Highway will finally complete Canada's road network, from coast to coast to coast. Mr. Speaker, if you are around the region, please come to Tuktoyaktuk for the Beluga Jamboree. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.