Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the 18th Assembly, we have made progress in a number of important mandate areas. We have moved forward in resource development, health, education, progress on housing. Our residents count on these investments to make their lives better and to allow families and communities to grow and flourish, so it's important not to lose the big picture because, no matter what grade you are in in school, what you do for a living, or the condo, cabin, or shack you live in, you must have fresh air you can breathe and clean water you can drink, Mr. Speaker.
That is why I am troubled that, over the course of this Assembly, there have been systemic reductions in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. This is the fourth year in a row of planned cuts to the department, with a reduction of 10 percent of its budget in the past three years.
This amounts to cuts in service, plain and simple, Mr. Speaker; less money in environmental protection, less support for community-based climate-change monitoring, significantly less on water quality. In general, we are investing less in science and knowledge about our own lands and waters than we were three years ago.
Mr. Speaker, right now more than ever, we are feeling the impacts of the changing world. Climate change is affecting everything. Our roads, shorelines, water levels, fire seasons are in flux. Caribou herds are in crisis. Now is not the time for us to be less committed to science and knowledge. Now is the time for us to invest in that research, in expanding our capacity by knowing more and being better prepared for the changing world.
Mr. Speaker, the tradition of our territory is written by the Indigenous ancestors who coexisted with this environment for many generations. They were and remain stewards of a healthy land that supported and sustained their civilization over many thousands of years. Now, in the 21st century, I believe ENR should be using all available tools to continue that stewardship of a sustainable, healthy environment.
Yes, we can support flourishing, healthy families living in thriving, empowered communities, but, Mr. Speaker, now is not the time for short-sightedness. We need investment in critical knowledge. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.