Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On September 29, 2019, four experienced fishers lost their lives on Great Slave Lake while they were making a living. I mention the words "making a living" because it seems that the fishers who provide a necessary food supply for NWT and our country are the most vulnerable workers there are, and we are not recognizing this. No one should be at risk while engaged in their livelihood. Certainly, it is time to recognize this issue. The fishers have not been recovered, and families are left in grief. Extreme weather on the lake and seasonal changes prevented a recovery of those fishers and the vessel. In addition to bad weather, there were equipment and safety failures that also prevented this from happening but also, more importantly, the lack of safety gear to help the fishers survive what we can only assume was the capsizing of the vessel.

Mr. Speaker, the Coast Guard and Department of Fisheries and Oceans made their best efforts to try to recover the vessel, but it was impossible, considering the weather and depth of water the boat was found in. We acknowledge their effort to assist the fishing families and the South Slave communities who aided the grieving families.

Mr. Speaker, some of us watch the Discovery TV series, the Deadliest Catch, and are aware of the danger of fishing the waters of the Bering Strait. What we don't know is that this program illustrates that fishing is dangerous no matter where the fishing takes place. Great Slave Lake is a large, dangerous lake to the uninitiated. The fishermen take their lives in their hands daily when they work on the lake. There have been many tragedies and losses of life on Great Slave Lake over the years, and that is not changing. We need to ask why.

Mr. Speaker, the International Labour Congress recognizes that fishing is the most challenging, hazardous occupation and identifies that the failures to protect the fishing community through convention and regulations on work conditions are a violation of basic human rights. We need to improve the safety of this work, and we have an obligation to our fishers.

Mr. Speaker, the commercial fishing revitalization strategy which was produced by ITI in the past Assembly places heavy emphasis on the production and sales of fish but very little or no emphasis on fishing safety. Are we willing to trade more lives to meet the production targets set by this strategy in this government? We need to address that. I'll have questions for the Minister of ITI later. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.