Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd also like to ask questions for the Minister of Strategic Infrastructure, Energy, and Supply Chains.
The Arctic Economic and Security Corridor is a crucial strategic priority of this government and Canada. Obviously, it's in the planning stages. We're not shovel ready at all. The question I have is about the billions of dollars that have been promised in new defence spending in the Northwest Territories. Is any of that contingent on the ASEC corridor? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister responsible for Strategic Infrastructure, Energy, and Supply Chains.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I presume the billions being referenced are the recent advanced procurement announcement that were out online not too long ago. Mr. Speaker, to my knowledge, those two items are both directed at the airports predominantly, both in Inuvik and in Yellowknife, and are not tied to nor necessarily, you know, dependent upon what may be happening with the Arctic Economic Security Corridor. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That comes as a relief as one will not necessarily impede the other. So when it comes to ASEC, which I will call the corridor for short, how close are we to a routing decision? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that work is very much underway right now, and it's being done in partnership. To date, the partnership formally is an MOU arrangement, working group work arrangement, between the Government of the Northwest Territories, the Tlicho, and the Yellowknives Dene First Nation. There was certainly some significant comments and commitments made in our -- on our side as a government knowing that there are other Indigenous governments with interests in this area who will want to ensure they're -- that they are engaged and involved in final routing decisions. And that was reflected when the signing took place at Roundup recently by all three parties. So I was not expecting the question here today. I do think we have some target dates, and I don't want to get them wrong. I believe it is -- it is this year, Mr. Speaker. As to the month, I will need a few minutes to go and look through my notes quickly. But it is well known that we need to move this forward quickly, that a routing decision needs to be made, and then we move -- need to move on to figuring out how this project gets paid for and procured. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Strategic Infrastructure, Energy, and Supply Chains. Member from Range Lake. Final supplementary.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that is good news that we'll have a firm date, and I welcome the receipt of that either here or elsewhere.
As it relates to the Grays Bay project on the other end of the corridor, can the Minister give a status update on the Nunavut side of the project as it is crucial, again, to the completion of this, to the best of her ability of course. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. That was pretty close to being a new question, but I will allow it. Minister responsible for Strategic Infrastructure, Energy, and Supply Chains.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, they may sound like different things; the two certainly are linked. The one project does depends on the other. The other -- they each depend on one another, and it is well accepted that the routing on both sides will need to align at the border in order to make this truly a corridor that impacts all of this country. So as a national corridor, it makes sense that it's going to connect.
Mr. Speaker, I have often been asked to speak on the corridor over the last couple of years and when I am, I can say that typically representatives from the West Kitikmeot are also there. So all sides, all parties are frequently meeting together, we're speaking together, we're promoting this project together.
My understanding is that they're in an environmental assessment process for a corridor, not necessarily a final routing, and we're looking to get our final routing done. So I would say that both parties are at a roughly -- roughly the same point in a way. They're just at different points doing it in a slightly different way. But the two do depend on one to the other. And, Mr. Speaker, just to shore the point up, this is a national -- project of national interest. It's in the national major projects office already, and we're committed to seeing it through. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Strategic Infrastructure, Energy, and Supply Chains. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
