Bob McLeod

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I haven’t been approached by anybody from Deline to assist with funding for a caribou hunt and the increase in CHAP funding was done with the understanding that what we wanted to do was help reduce the high cost of food, ensure that the benefit was equitable and transparent to all communities in the Northwest Territories, reduce economic disparities between large and small communities and it should be consistent with land claim obligations where these exist. The CHAP program was developed to assist harvesters and communities throughout the Northwest Territories and so...

I wanted to clarify before I left with Mr. Bromley, he had asked me a question in his general comments about revenues. I didn’t have a chance; I forgot to address it in the response. I just wanted to indicate that the main reason for the reduction in the revenues was that we reduced the interest rates that were charged by the Business Development Institute of Canada while the economy was in a downturn for two years, so that is why the revenues dropped in that area. I just wanted to add that in. Thank you for your indulgence.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Most of our revenue from parks we work out arrangements through the parks operator and it’s sort of like on a commission basis and I think that’s why it doesn’t show up on the revenue sheet. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Yes, we do, Mr. Chair.

We undertake a review of our program and the Member would be pleased to know that some of the communities, when the children or the youth go out on the land, one of the teachers actually goes out with them. For example, in Colville Lake where the teacher went out with the youth and spent two or three weeks out there, so I’m sure the educator learned a lot as well. Also, in the past when we’ve done these reviews, we saw fit to expand our program, so that in 2009-10 we also added Take a Kid Harvesting Program. We find that it has been successful. As we review it, we will endeavour to make it...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m very pleased to recognize in the gallery today Ms. Jenni Bruce, the chair of NWT Tourism; Mr. Larry Jacquard, board member of NWT Tourism; Mr. Gerry LaPrieur, executive director of NWT Tourism; and Mr. Doug Doan, assistant deputy minister of ITI and also a member of the Tourism Marketing Advisory Committee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following two documents entitled Tourism 2015: New Directions for a Spectacular Future, February 2011, and Northwest Territories Marketing Plan 2011-2012.

I’ve sent an e-mail to the mayor and asked his Edmonton Bureau of Tourism to be in contact with NWT Tourism. Anybody that we can get to work with us and promote the North we’re very interested in and we’re very eager to follow up on that with the mayor.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Edmonton is a significant market for the Northwest Territories. We think there are a lot of advantages to working with Edmonton and Alberta. Our primary contact with regards to marketing is NWT Tourism and seeing as Edmonton is only less than two hours and probably about a $300 to $400 ticket away, and since we’re interested in increasing business and personal travel to the Northwest Territories, it’s a natural fit. Similar to what we’ve done with Vancouver and B.C. where we have our aurora visitors go through there and have direct flights, we’re looking for...

Mr. Speaker, I know that the Department of Education already has on-the-land programs with their students. I will be pleased to meet with the Minister of Education to make sure that all of our programs work more closely together. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.