Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Following up on my statement, my question today is to the Premier. These are exciting times there, Mr. Speaker, for the Northwest Territories, which includes multiple departments and for multiple projects.
Can the Premier explain in summary our government's readiness platform or plan of engagements in preparation for these projects? Mahsi.
Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Mr. Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And it's a big question because the Member's right, there's a lot going on and there's a lot that we should expect here in the territory. In terms of investments from the federal government, there's of course the DND side of things, and we've been advancing the Mackenzie Valley Highway, Arctic Economic Security Corridor, and Taltson, and lobbying hard for many years now for those. But we're at the point where we feel like we need to be shifting from lobbying to preparing and mobilizing to actually ensure that these projects get done, get done in a timely fashion, and that the people of the Northwest Territories reap the benefits of construction and the ongoing operation of these projects. And so we are working to ensure that we have all of our ducks in a row. We're looking at ensuring that we have a workforce plan going forward. Of course, there's the shutdown in Norman Wells. There's the closure of Diavik. And so there will be a workforce looking for work. So we're working on figuring out what do we need, what sort of positions do we need for these projects, what communities need the training for those types of positions, what type of training do we already have. And I am looking forward to updating this House in the next sitting with a plan on how we're going to move forward and ensure that those benefits stay in the territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the Premier for that reply. What really struck me was lobbying is done now. Now we've got to prepare. So I extend an invitation to the Premier that I am available. Mahsi.
