Mr. Speaker, the Gahcho Kue announcement yesterday is a clear signal, if not a message, that our mining sector is in trouble. Once the backbone of the NWT economy, Mr. Speaker, it is under enormous strain everyone can agree upon. This deeply troubling news for people like me, I see this strain may not be the right word, Mr. Speaker. There may be a different word to look at this particular case, more so is our economy is turning into a nonexistence. Once a strong resource economy is fading away. Further erosion of our NWT economy is I fear what is next.
This government doesn't seem to recognize the urgency of this particular problem, Mr. Speaker, and that becomes fearful for citizens I talk to abound. Hope is not a plan, Mr. Speaker. I don't know if this government hopes someone will save us, but I could assure you hope won't feed your kids and I can guarantee a hope doesn't keep the lights on. When it takes over ten years or more to get a project to move forward, Mr. Speaker, the reality is we need that investment, the employment, the economic certainty to save the North, Mr. Speaker. And back to hope.
Which business school out there teaches hope as an economic plan? I assure you not a single one.
Every delay sends a message to the industry, Mr. Speaker, that the NWT is a difficult place to work, too slow, uninterested, and far too uncertain to invest money here. Investors look elsewhere. They take their bags of money and opportunity to other jurisdictions that welcome them. Mr. Speaker, jurisdictions such as Nunavut and the Yukon. Their economies are accelerating forward while ours is stalling.
Mr. Speaker, to be honest, it's about what are we going to do about what's coming next? If it wasn't for the potential DND investment of $10 billion potentially ramping up, I don't know what we'd be doing about this potential serious gap ahead of us, Mr. Speaker. And to be clear, any success of that investment is solely credited to D -- let me try again. Solely entirely credited to DND, not the GNWT, Mr. Speaker. So I tell the GNWT to stand out of their way and don't mess it up.
Mr. Speaker, we're fearful. Many people are fearful in my community when they hear this. So back to hope. Is this government going to wait for Providence to save us? Is there happenstance that we wait in line for? We can only wait for divine intervention and luck so long, Mr. Speaker. No one is suggesting this urgency means we have to ignore environmental responsibilities, but we need to be fighting, fighting for jobs, because jobs lead to -- help us on the fight of poverty, to help families, and build healthy and strong communities. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions during question period later today with respect to my statement because we need urgent action. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Members' statements.
