Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Members of the 18th Assembly made a commitment in our mandate to expand and diversify the economy of our territory. Some of the newer areas of the economy are booming, such as tourism. Others are growing more slowly, but show promise. We can expect recent investments in film, agriculture, and fisheries, among others, to pay off in the future.
However, as we move forward we cannot forget the riches we have right beneath our feet, Mr. Speaker. Our territory is blessed with generous mineral resources, including many that will be increasingly needed in the new green global economy. Natural resource development can provide good, stable, and generational jobs for our residents and fuel growth and stability in our communities and regions.
We are improving our investment climate. Investors are looking more and more favourably at our resources as a safe bet because we are doing good things. In the North, we have decades of experience of responsible and safe resource extraction. We have the tools and the know-how to continue to lead the country in innovation in cold-climate resource development. Mineral development will also support the growth of a central infrastructure. The growth of power and transportation systems like Taltson, the Mackenzie Valley Highway, and the corridor to the Slave Geological Province can only be supported by large-scale development of natural resources, and that is infrastructure that will support our communities into the future, well beyond the life of any one project. These projects are needed to create wealth that will support our communities and provide prosperity for all Northerners, their families, and communities.
Mr. Speaker, the mining industry is becoming a world leader in championing responsible, sustainable, and carbon-free practices. That is especially important to us as we live in the part of the world that is most drastically affected by climate change. We can be partners with this new green, progressive, and responsible sector in ways that create wealth, good jobs, and security for our citizens. A diversified economy is important, Mr. Speaker, and it is important to continue to develop new initiatives, but it is equally prudent to continue with the sector that has consistently and reliably provided wealth and growth to Northerners. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.