Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the mover and the seconder of the motion. I know the mover's obviously done quite a bit of work on this.

I do have a problem with the word "growth", quite frankly. You know, we do live on a finite planet and growth in some parts of the world, we just cannot sustain it any further without getting another planet somewhere. But I understand that the thrust of this is really about trying to maintain programs and services and sort of critical mass of folks in parts of the Northwest Territories, so I can support it.

We do have to start, I think, to pay a closer attention to the evidence, the data, that is produced by the bureau of stats on our behalf, the demographic change that's taking place here in the Northwest Territories, and all of this in the context of a climate emergency. You know, we have to start to think about climate refugees here, Mr. Speaker. People are going to want to move here because they have nowhere else to go on this planet. We have to start to think about that very carefully.

I also think that we have to plan for the sustainability of our small communities. We just can't leave it to chance that people are going to stay in small communities but if we want them to thrive and people to have a good quality of life, we have to plan for that. And I don't think we've brought it together in a way that is going to ensure that that happens. And that's what I think this motion is aimed at, and I'll support it. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.