Mr. Speaker, last year, the Prime Minister announced a five-year ban on all oil and gas development in the Arctic without consulting the communities that would be most affected. This moratorium costs the north prosperity, opportunity, and $2.6 billion in planned investments. Recently, Northwest Territories Premier Bob McLeod issued a “red alert” on the territory's future. He said, “'We need jobs. We need work. You want us to leave the North because we can't work there. You want us to live in a large park.”
Liberals are taking away northerners' dreams and hopes and creating a nightmare for them. Between increased costs of living through imposed taxes and decreased jobs, this all adds up to a recipe for disaster for our north. In the words of the premier, “everything we have built is in jeopardy.”