Delivered November 23, 2018
Check against delivery
Good evening and welcome to the NWT Max Awards. It is an honour to be here with everyone to celebrate excellence in mining and exploration.
Before I begin I would like to recognize the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines, the NWT Geological Survey, and the many staff and volunteers who make this event possible each year.
The Government of the Northwest Territories is pleased to be both partner and sponsor of the Annual Yellowknife Geoscience Forum and this evening’s awards.
It is appropriate that we conclude our event each year with recognition for the excellence that exists in mining and exploration in our Territory. Through their contributions and commitment to sustainable, responsible development, the people and businesses that we will honour this evening have made lasting contributions to our territory.
From boots-on-the-ground-exploration to long term monitoring – and through the full spectrum of study, construction, production and reclamation, the NWT’s mining industry is among the best in the world. Mining and exploration are central to prosperity in our Northwest Territories. They have been for decades. That said our economy is in a tough spot right now. We need more exploration and new mines.
As the GNWT’s Minister responsible for the economy, I can reaffirm tonight our commitment to supporting the mining sector; promoting our territory; and doing our part to make our territory competitive for responsible development.
We are investing millions this year in exploration incentives and geoscience research to quantify and define our potential.
We are working to address the infrastructure deficit that makes our territory so costly to invest in. We’ve seen hundreds of millions in new funding committed and we’re pushing for more.
We are working to improve certainty and consistency in or regulatory and legislative environment. We will be introducing new mineral legislation next year to reflect the realities of doing business in the North and to position our territory for future growth and innovation.
And we are working to build our northern workforce and attract more people to come live and work in our territory.
Canada’s Northwest Territories offers a low-risk investment jurisdiction that is setting the bar for Indigenous partnership - and one that contributes to improved outcomes for northern communities and meaningful opportunities for Northerners.
The working relationships that we have with Indigenous governments are industry leading. That is the NWT difference. We can leverage this important distinction to attract investors looking to advance projects in a stable investment climate where public support exists for development.
It’s the story that we are going to tell to the audiences that have the knowledge and capital to get projects going in our territory.
At the Economic Summit in Inuvik, we agreed to stand together politically. We agreed that non-renewable sectors like mining and oil and gas have and will continue to play an important role in our territory’s economic future. And that large-scale investment in northern energy, transportation and communications infrastructure corridors are key to creating investment and economic opportunities in all sectors.
We must maintain our united front.
Each of you here tonight has a stake in a strong economic future for the Northwest Territories.
Each of you can make the case for what you know to be true — that by opening up the NWT, we will be unlocking extraordinary opportunities that will benefit our people – our partners and our country.
Each of you – through words, actions and investments can help to drive our message home.
The NWT is a resilient territory full of talented people and boundless potential; there is prosperity to be had here. Together we can create a stronger, resource rich, sustainable North that benefits us all.
Thank you for coming tonight and I hope to have the chance to speak with many of you as the night moves on.