Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For my Member's statement, I am going to talk about the importance that the Taltson Hydroelectric Expansion Project continues to have for the economy of the NWT.
Mr. Speaker, in my response to the Commissioner's address the other day, I discussed the Taltson expansion as a key priority of mine for the 19th Legislative Assembly. However, this priority is not only my own as it is actually an official mandate item on the priorities list of the entire 19th Assembly. Therefore, it is incumbent on all of us in this House to ensure that this major infrastructure project gets built.
Mr. Speaker, we must also consider that, given the economic fallout from COVID-19, the Government of the Northwest Territories should be more interested than ever to pursue this project in order to help spur economic growth and ultimately the reduced power rates for the people of the NWT. This pandemic has caused a serious downturn in our economy, so it is extremely important that we stay the course with this hydro expansion as it will be vital in our economic recovery for the long term.
In addition, Mr. Speaker, I want to add that I find it very concerning that several Members in this House have repeatedly talked down toward this project and hopefully wish that it will never get built. It seems like nearly every time I mention the Taltson expansion, people get defensive and shoot down the idea right away. Well, that should not be happening anymore because we MLAs have already decided as a group at the beginning of the Assembly that this project would be pursued and go forward during the life of the 19th Assembly.
Mr. Speaker, as I have said in previous statements, this project has the capacity to nearly double the NWT's current hydro capacity output and would help save our territory's power needs for years to come. This hydro expansion would provide the NWT with more renewable energy, create job opportunities, and will set the pace for a vibrant economy in the future. This has to remain a priority in order to secure any significant long-term investments to the NWT. We need this infrastructure if we want to sustain and grow our territory's economic development, especially during a time of economic recovery as we are now in. I will have questions for the Minister of Infrastructure later. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
