Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to congratulate Yellowknife's own, the Honourable Rebecca Alty, on her election to the House of Commons and further on her appointment to the Privy Council as Minister for Crown Indigenous Relations.

Rebecca was born and raised in Yellowknife in Chief Drygeese territory in the Akaitcho region. After high school, she completed a diploma in film and video at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology followed by a degree in communication studies from the University of Calgary. In 2018, she was elected as 15th mayor of Yellowknife, following two terms as a city councillor.

Ms. Alty joins a rather exclusive club of northern Ministers and is only the second from the Northwest Territories following in the footsteps of the great Ethel Blondin Andrew who was Minister of State from 2003 to 2006. [Translation] INSERT* [Translation Ends].

Northerners are often overlooked and under-utilized by Ottawa, but these appointments send a clear message that that is going to change. The NWT holds the promise of Canada's future, the Gray's Bay, Slave Geological Province strategic corridor, critical minerals, and our untapped energy potential and natural gas, offshore oil, hydroelectricity, and geothermal resources. We can be the center of North America's strategic defence and ensure Arctic sovereignty for all Canadians and the tradition of Indigenous people who have called this land home since time immemorial.

Mr. Speaker, the new federal Cabinet and its priorities represent a bright future for the Northwest Territories with growth and security for our people. I know that my friend Rebecca Alty will make good on this opportunity and be the voice of the NWT on the national and international stage. Congratulations, Rebecca. Thank you.