Mr. Speaker, I am sorry because I thought I had to be last because part of my Member's statement is a eulogy. Okay. Mr. Speaker, I would like to highlight the Wood Buffalo National Park today. This park was established 98 years ago to protect the declining number of wood bison. It is approximately 45,000 square kilometres and is the largest park in Canada and the second-largest park in the world. It is listed as a UNESCO heritage site. According to the UNESCO website, "UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in education, the sciences and culture. UNESCO's programs contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development
Goals defined in Agenda 2030, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015." UNESCO has approximately 1,100 heritage sites worldwide, with 20 being in Canada, one of which is the Wood Buffalo National Park.
Mr. Speaker, Fort Smith is called "the gateway to Wood Buffalo National Park." Every year, tourists arrive to visit this park. Numbers of visitors have increased over the years, from approximately 1,600 to 3,900 in 2019.
The Wood Buffalo National Park offers a variety of experiences to tourists, including:
- a Dark Sky Festival that takes place every August; in 2013 the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada designated the Wood Buffalo National Park as the world's largest dark-sky preserve;
- two wetland sites that are considered of international significance, one of which is the nesting grounds of the whooping crane and the other being the Peace-Athabasca Delta. Both provide important wetlands for migrating and nesting fowl;
- snake pits that offer viewers to see garter snakes migrate from wintering caves;
- hiking trails that offer a variety of unique landscapes;
- off-the-grid camping experiences; and
- salt plains created by ancient seas.
Mr. Speaker, this heritage site is accessible through Fort Smith and is a hidden gem and could easily be promoted as an incredible tourist destination for the NWT. I encourage everyone to check out this wonderful park at some point in their travels, either in Fort Smith or anywhere in the Northwest Territories. Furthermore, I would like to wish all of the staff at the Wood Buffalo National Park office a great weekend and for all of my constituents of Fort Smith to have an enjoyable weekend at the Wood Buffalo Frolics Festival. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to finish my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted.