Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of my favorite summer activities is fishing. Fishing to me is the quiet lapping of the lake, midnight sun, and family time. We live in a remarkable part of the world where each of our constituencies have access to pristine freshwater fish.

The GNWT is moving forward with the revitalization of the Great Slave Lake commercial fishery so we can share northern fish with the south, and many moving parts are underway. The design and construction of a $13 million fish plant in Hay River, the development of remote community collector stations, training and support for winter fishery, and the development of a marketing strategy.

Central to the plans for commercial fishery growth is the construction of the fish plant. But, Mr. Speaker, I suggest it's equally as important to remove the regulatory requirement for any commercial fisher in the NWT to sell to the freshwater fish marketing corporation.

The NWT is the only remaining participating Canadian jurisdiction still under the authority of the Freshwater Fisheries Marketing Corporation Act. Freshwater holds the exclusive right to export fish from the NWT and all NWT fishers wanting to sell outside the territory must sell their fish to the corporation. For many fishers who only want to sell to the fish plant and leave the marketing to Tu Cho Fishers Cooperative, the current system under Freshwater Works. But for fishers who have made the investment and taken the risk to establish their own certified processing plants, they are limited by this regulation.

The GNWT has created barriers for existing fishers who are business savvy enough to find their own higher value markets down south and have invested in growing this industry alongside the corporation.

To grow the NWT fishing sector, fishers require access to southern markets but right now this is only legally possible if local fishers can obtain an exemption from Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation. This process, Mr. Speaker, is arduous, burdensome, and time consuming.

The GNWT needs to ensure that the $13 million investment into a fish processing plant translates into higher compensation for local fishers. Without creating access to new markets and retail channels that empowers certified fishers to sell outside the NWT without being penalized by existing legislation and regulations, fishers will struggle to revitalize this industry. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.