Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the hard work and vision of the Northwest Corridor Development Corporation headquartered in Prince George, B.C.
The NCDC was established in 1998 as a self-sustaining organization aimed at promoting Canadian trade to and from Asia Pacific markets through this capable route.
The northwest transportation and trade corridor spans four western provinces providing an existing system of northern road, rail, air, pipeline, marine and telecommunications from the prairies to the Pacific. Currently the corridor services Canada's major resource sectors yet it is severely underutilized.
Western Canadians have always been at the cutting edge of political and commercial innovation. The northwest corridor is a shining example of public and private sector partnership.
I want to congratulate Jeff Burghardt, chair of NCDC, and his team for taking routes travelled in the 19th century and turning them into economic arteries for the 21st.