Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today, I'm talking about the ever-important and longstanding matter of the establishment of Thaidene Nene Park.
The deep, clear waters of the east arm of Great Slave Lake and rolling boreal forest and tundra surrounding form Thaidene Nene. Known as the "Land of the Ancestors," the park has an expanse of over 33,000 square kilometres. Our government, the Government of Canada, and the Lutselk'e Dene First Nation along with other key stakeholders are advancing this initiative to foster ecological integrity, cultural continuity, and economic sustainability through permanent protection of this critical, ecological, and cultural landscape.
The Thaidene Nene Park is an innovative approach to creating a new form of protected area. It is one that will enable Indigenous people to fulfill their responsibility as stewards and hosts of their traditional territory, one that fulfills our government's commitment to build upon our conservation network and protected area strategy. It will contribute to Parks Canada's goal of representing each of the 39 distinct natural regions within their national park system.
Mr. Speaker, the establishment of Thaidene Nene is one of the 18th Assembly's mandate commitments. In addition, we said, in order to advance our vision of land management, that we will evolve our legislation, regulatory and policy systems, by developing a new Territorial Protected Areas Act.
This is necessary, in fact critical, legislation because, without it, we can't establish the GNWT's portion of the park. Without this territorial legislation, the establishment of the park will be delayed, and that, in turn, could compromise significant philanthropic and federal funding. Both are necessary for the park to be established.
In other words, Mr. Speaker, it's up to us to make Thaidene Nene happen. We must get this legislation done, or we will fail to achieve this unique Made-in-the-North deal.
I urge the government to honour its commitment to producing the Protected Areas Act in the very near future. We must ensure the 18th Assembly can fulfill its mandate commitment to make Thaidene Nene a reality. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.