Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories is an incredible place to visit, but it is an even better place to live. Our 33 communities are spread out over vast and gorgeous territory that extends the salt plains to the Arctic Ocean. Between, you cruise past dense bush, Canadian Shield, the Rockies to the left, the Delta, the Pingos, and straight into the Arctic Ocean. Along your journey, you'll run into a bison, a muskox, caribou, wolverine, wolves, otters, beavers, a black grizzly, or polar bear, and if you're lucky, maybe even a beluga or two.
The adventures the North has to offer are plentiful, just like the wild cranberries in fall, the birch bark syrup in spring, or fish any time of year. Each season eases you from skis to paddle boards and then back again. True, you can experience all of this as a visitor, along with the northern lights, gorgeous sunsets, or a midnight sun depending on the month, but what you can't get as a visitor is how it feels to be northern.
While most of the people in this room are born and raised Northerners who have consciously made the North home for the next generation, some come from the South to start an adventure or plant roots. The NWT is a transient and welcoming place. Some come for a year and stay for a decade while others come for five and stay for a lifetime. The lure of career opportunities, lifestyle, the six-minute commute, wins over many northern newcomers, while the supports for new entrepreneurs or budding professionals, opportunities for student financial assistance, connections to the land and culture and that same lifestyle, and its people make it harder to ever leave; but why would you, Mr. Speaker? The NWT has arguably some of the most generous supports for seniors in all of Canada. I am thankful for a childhood North of 60 and am honoured to raise my own children in the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, I challenge anyone looking to build a career, find some balance, enrich their lives, or discover friends who quickly become family, to join us. The North is incredible, and I want to share it. Today, I will have questions for the GNWT's Immigration strategy for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.