Mr. Speaker, Northerners need to be the ones making decisions about their future. We are the ones who live here and we know what is best for our regions and our communities. This is why I support the Premier taking a stand on the Northwest Territories red alert last November. The Sahtu region has a vast store of renewable and non-renewable resources. We want to develop those resources so we can get the economic benefits from them and keep people off government support programs.
Mr. Speaker, developing our resources in a responsible manner is a fundamental principle of prudent land management stewardship. Northerners know best how to develop responsibly and safely. Mr. Speaker, the Sahtu isn't seeing any signs from Canada that they understand how important resource development is for our region, or that they are in any hurry to get the economy of our region restarted.
Mr. Speaker, we need the Government of Canada to help us do that by investing in infrastructure projects like the Mackenzie Valley highway. We also need to know they support resource development as the engine of the Sahtu region and the Northwest Territories economy.
Mr. Speaker, we have negotiated land claims and the devolution to give our people the power to make their own decisions in important areas like economic development, but we are still having difficulties exercising those powers, Mr. Speaker, especially when the federal government still retains decisions that affect our independence.
Mr. Speaker, Ottawa agreed to review the transfer of authorities it held back under the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act within five years of devolution. That review comes to us next year, and we need to get ready by reminding the federal government that decisions about the North need to be made here by Northerners. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Mahsi.
---Unanimous consent granted