Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Among my takeaways from last night's technical briefing on the new Stanton hospital territorial review. First, the cost of healthcare will go up. Through P3 contract adjustments for rising input costs such as labour, material, energy, technology, regulation, and expectations, the cost will go up, and both government and Northerners will be forced to pay. Second, our healthcare systems are becoming more vulnerable. A reverse slope in a pipe can lead to a sewage backup that can shut down parts of the facility. In anticipation of something like coronavirus in China or other superbugs, we need highly sensitive air filtration and reverse-pressure systems to isolate parts of the building from cross-contamination. If that leaks, we are vulnerable to big problems. The system becomes increasingly vulnerable to surprise events. Of course, the same is true of extreme weather all over the world, increasing cost and increasing vulnerability.
Yesterday, I asked the Minister of housing about housing affordability in Yellowknife, and the answer was increased subsidies, so more cost. The increasing number of housing problems over time is an indicator of increased vulnerability. Mr. Speaker, the issues across our public systems are consistent. When systems become socially expensive and vulnerable, however, we need not maintain the status quo but innovate. The cost of computing and smart electronics is going down, and its effectiveness increases. As external costs of fossil fuels go up, the cost of solar, wind, and renewable alternatives have gone down and crossed over to become cheaper than fossils through localization as an innovation to centralization. Renewables have become less vulnerable to global conflict in decreasing supply.
Where we can think outside the box and innovate, we reduce the issue of cost and vulnerability. We reverse the trends by doing things differently.
The housing problem is the same. We need radical innovation through change, business process, and new scientific paradigms in combination with deep traditional knowledge. Innovation comes from a new way of thinking. This new thinking is what we expect from our educational outcomes, the way we structure jobs in the economy, the way we approach health and healing, the systems of collaborative nation-to-nation governance, and the way we build housing. We need housing that is better integrated with our unique northern environment and our diverse northern culture. We need to ensure we are investing in innovation for the long-term, doing right now what will make life for our kids less expensive and less vulnerable.
Governments are conservative by nature, and we need innovation. We need creativity. I challenge all Ministers to put their heads together to prioritize innovation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.