Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The cost of living in Nunakput is the highest in the Northwest Territories. On February 18^th, the price of diesel fuel in Paulatuk went up almost 17 percent, hitting $1.94 per litre. The cost of regular gasoline is up to $1.98 a litre. Prices went up in Sachs Harbour and Ulukhaktok, as well.

Mr. Speaker, the rising cost has been hard on hunters living in these communities. People need fuel to hunt, to feed their families, and to continue to pass on their cultural survival skills to future generations. Families simply cannot afford the price increases of fuel, supplies, and equipment.

When families cannot hunt, they have to purchase all food from the store. The prices are simply shocking compared to the prices here in Yellowknife. I will not mention the quality or variety, but just to buy basic essentials is impossible for families. Even with Nutrition North, people are struggling. Inuvialuit prefer to have traditional food, harvested from their own time spent out on the land.

The average personal income in Nunakput communities isn't much more than $35,000 a year, Mr. Speaker, relying on numbers from our Bureau of Statistics. That is not even close to the average in the Northwest Territories, which is over $60,000 a year. It is very difficult, if not impossible, for many of my constituents to afford fuel at these prices. The Minister of Infrastructure will let me know that the prices of fuel in Arctic communities are subsidized. That is all well and good, if the subsidy can reflect and positively affect the cost off of living in that community. Mr. Speaker, on average this year, a tank of gas for a snowmobile is around $50. When we raise the fuel price, all that we are doing is creating hardship for residents in our communities.

The mandate of this government calls for action to reduce the cost of living, not to increase it. The mandate also calls upon the government to promote the consumption of traditional foods, such as fish and wildlife, improve nutrition, and improve the wellness and the way of life of Indigenous peoples in the territory. Investment in traditional harvesting is another priority that we set in our mandate. So is reducing poverty.

Raising the fuel price in Nunakput communities does the exact opposite in all of those areas, Mr. Speaker. The high cost of fuel prevents the majority of people's access to food, cultural values, and wellness.

However, there comes a time in point when any increase is too much. What we need is a commitment to fulfill this mandate item and a continued promise to serve our Arctic communities better by easing the high cost of living. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.