Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think to the economic future of the territory, I always think of what is going to pull our economy forward out of the negative growth that is anticipated for our foreseeable future. The advocacy I have brought to this Chamber has typically revolved around the minerals industry, which I believe is the quickest way to get our economy back on track.

I have had the opportunity to travel to the Sahtu, where oil and gas is not just another economic opportunity, but it very much is the industry that has created a lot of prosperity for the region. Seeing the operations that Imperial Oil has on the ground, seeing the impact it has on the community, really opened up my eyes to how important this industry is to our residents and to our entire territory.

I think oil and gas resources, when done correctly, are an incredibly powerful economic driver. We should be making best efforts to attract that level of investment, but we do have to account for the gaps in infrastructure that make it a much less attractive place than perhaps areas that are closer to tidewater or closer to major infrastructure, which makes this process easier.

Now, when it comes to my understanding in reviewing this bill and having the opportunity to have conversations with departmental officials is that the SDL was developed as a tool to address the lack of infrastructure and allow industry to come into a region that doesn't have adequate support for production but can hold on to it until that support exists. It was really to address the state of play many, many years ago when the federal government was calling the shots. It is an artefact of that regime.

What we have today is a circumstance which my honourable friend from Frame Lake laid out very clearly: a licence that has no expiry, that ties up land and resources potentially forever with no requirement for work. This is a concern that the standing committee heard directly when we met with representatives of the Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated. This was a big issue for them.

It was not driven by committee concerns or by eco-colonialists but rather by Northerners and northern governments who were concerned of a lack of economic opportunity and that SDLs were not supporting their region and their regional economy. I think we can extrapolate that to the global territorial economy, as well. If we had thriving oil fields where they exist in the NWT, I think our economy would be in a much different position than it is today.

When it comes to SDLs, we have to carefully manage this tool. The changes that have been proposed in the legislation, which we will be debating later today, are much needed improvements. The question that is on my mind is: do they go far enough? Do they strike that balance of addressing infrastructure gaps as a tool to say, "Look. We might not have all the infrastructure in place, but you will be able to hold on to your rights until it is there but not in perpetuity. If you are not able to do the work, you move on." I am not sure if we have struck that balance.

There are other options that were presented to the standing committee by the department. The work that this motion is calling for I think has largely been done. It just hasn't been properly assessed by the entire caucus and made a priority of government. It has been the conversation between a Minister and the standing committee.

This motion encourages the government to look at this problem again because I don't think we have struck the balance we need to and really carefully assess how to manage this tool because if it is going to drive investment and industry action in the Northwest Territories, then it has to be done in a way that ensures there is benefit to the people of the Northwest Territories, as well.

Things like a rent scale or mandatory work that has to be done, those are all the kinds of things I would like to see moving forward, and I think this motion calls for that work to be done and to again be carefully considered as a political priority of the next government. I do support the motion. This significant discovery licence is a significant issue, and again it's one that we were unable to satisfactorily address as a standing committee, through the legislative process, so I hope this motion is successfully passed and that the public service who will be supporting the Members of the 19^th Assembly take heed of the recommendation and bring forward some options for the next government. Thank you.