Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, building on my Member's statement yesterday on traditional foods and subsistence harvesting, I want to highlight how food from the land should be sold in local stores in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, selling local food in local stores is among the goals of both the Agriculture and the Commercial Fishery Strategies. Key partnerships need to be put in place and all stakeholders need to be involved to make this happen. There is a high demand for local food across the Northwest Territories as people become more aware of the benefits of local food production. It is generally less expensive and healthier than imported food from the south, or at least it should be.

Mr. Speaker, as far north as the Sahtu Region, people are realizing how much they can grow during the short summer season. Surplus could be sent to regions where it is much less possible to grow our own food. In the meantime, these areas, like Nunakput, have an abundance of fish, meat from caribou, reindeer, and muskox. Mr. Speaker, Nunavut has shown through its small but active char fishery and muskox hunts how selling local food is possible and benefits northern communities.

Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories needs legislation for small abattoirs that would allow people to process meat on a realistic and sustainable scale. A small scale abattoir could work in my riding and meet the needs of producers elsewhere. Mr. Speaker, large federally licensed facilities are well beyond the reach of northern producers and even small farms and ranches in southern Canada.

We also need to work with companies like the Northern Store and co-ops and even the retail giants like Independent here, in Yellowknife, to sell local foods. Polar Egg is an example of a business that has led the way in that area. We need to work in cooperation with the federal Nutrition North subsidy program so that it doesn't undercut local producers who sell foods that are normally subsidized at higher rates.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, we must emphasize the goals of the Agriculture and Commercial Fishery Strategies to educate and encourage new producers. The people of the Northwest Territories are ready to learn and teach others how to grow, harvest, process, and market local produce, meat, and fish so that the benefits of local food can be shared by all. Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker