Mr. Speaker, my questions will be to the Minister of strategic infrastructure, and I will begin by noting that the Slave Geological Province Corridor report, which I have in my hand, notes that the best route is going east and direct to the mining sector; and lastly, Mr. Speaker, I will point out that the City of Yellowknife supports the NWT economy with approximately $2.2 billion. That's 50 percent of the northern economy, Mr. Speaker. So my direct question to the Minister of Infrastructure is, will the Minister of strategic infrastructure ensure that any routing of the Arctic Economic Security Corridor includes a direct connection to the workhorse of this northern economy, that is, the city of Yellowknife. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from the Yellowknife Centre. Minister responsible for Strategic Infrastructure, Energy and Supply Chains.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, flowing from the words I've been listening to this morning, I am going to continue to work in partnership with Indigenous governments from around this territory, abide by the MOU that we have just signed with the Tlicho, with the Yellowknife First Nation, which mentions within it working with all Indigenous partners, and we're going to make sure that the route we choose is one that balances all of the needs, including, as is mentioned in there, the economic needs and the economic importance of this route which requires that it passes through rich regions for the geology. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I repeat the short words of the infrastructure Minister, connecting the North for the benefit of the Northerners. So, Mr. Speaker, my second question is not about excluding Indigenous partnership, it's including the city of Yellowknife in this big MOU. So why isn't the city of Yellowknife included in the routing conversation? Because this population represents 50 percent of the northern economy and 50 percent of the population, Mr. Speaker. It needs to be included in this conversation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, quite a large number of stakeholders are going to, of course, be included in a project the size of the proposed Arctic Economic and Security Corridor, running all the way up to the Nunavut Coast. Mr. Speaker, the Yellowknife municipal government is not a landholder akin to that of the Tlicho government or to the Yellowknife Dene First Nation, who anticipate, of course, settling the land claim, hopefully in the near future. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it may not be a landowner but, Mr. Speaker, my last question is really structured around the capital's interest in the northern economy. So I am told -- this is the question. I am told that the current sketch that's being worked out ignores the city of Yellowknife, Mr. Speaker, and if that's the proposed working route given to the GNWT to advocate, will the GNWT say no and will they have the courage to say the city of Yellowknife needs to be part of this corridor and not excluded and not ignored. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member. Final Supplementary.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am not going to speak about a hypothetical sketch that I don't have in front of me. I don't know what this sketch is, who drew it or where it's from. I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, that the reason we've signed this MOU is to lay out a framework by which we work hand-in-hand with the Indigenous governments who are the landholders on whose lands this route is to traverse. But, Mr. Speaker, it's always been well known that it's going to have to involve a region where Yellowknife is obviously very prominently centered, as well as other Indigenous governments in the area, North Slave Metis being among them, to find the best possible route. It's a road that has economic value, we have to maximise economic value, and we were very careful in signing that MOU that reflected the need to have that economic value built into the routing. Thank you.
Your response to strategic infrastructure, energy and supply chains. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.
