Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The NWT regularly has one of the highest GDPs per capita in Canada, and we would regularly be in the top 10 in the world. No doubt that impressive figure has helped many of our residents get ahead and has helped this government fund many life-saving services. However, sadly, with many of our diamond mines facing closure and the economic recession of COVID-19, that economic prosperity is likely to diminish. To be honest, Mr. Speaker, there is only so much we politicians can do about that. The further we head up the economic ladder, the less ability we have as a government to influence. I would love if I had any control over the market price of diamonds. I would raise it through the roof. I would also love if I had an operating surplus of a few billion dollars for infrastructure, but we don't. That decision requires paying for infrastructure with debt. A debate, no doubt, we will have many times in this House.
The other side of those large economic debates are the small economic debates. That is where we do have the ability to influence and localize our economy. It is much easier to ask 100 small businesses to add one job each than it is to ask our largest company to add 100 jobs. This is the essence of diversification. It's not just the industries, but it's increasing overall employers and competition within the NWT. This is why our economic recovery must focus on entrepreneurs and small businesses which, to be honest, is the overwhelming amount of companies in the NWT.
The other day, MLA Norn talked about a constituent who makes woodstoves, and he hopes that, one day, we can build an economy where that constituent could compete with the Amazons of the world. Mr. Norn's comment resonated with me, Mr. Speaker, because that is the goal and is an achievable goal. I will gladly pay a few dollars more if I could get my woodstove down the road in Detah. I will pay for that economic security, and I know many others will, too. COVID has shown just how brittle our supply lines are. Localized competition and creating redundancy protects us. Resilience must sometimes be prioritised over efficiency. Thomas Friedman, in describing Carlson's Law, describes this balance between autocracy and democracy in an organization. Mr. Speaker, I am seeking unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted