Katrina Nokleby

Thank you, Madam Chair. I think that pretty much everybody sitting on this side campaigned on a bit of a change mandate, so that does completely incorporate, as well, the BDIC. I can't speak to why the BDIC has been run how it's been run. I have heard the same and similar complaints that the Member has raised, or concerns or issues the Member has raised. When having that conversation with Ms. St-Denis, who is currently the acting CEO of the BDIC, we both recognized that there could be changes that should be made and really a re-evaluation of the purpose of what the BDIC is doing and how it's...

Thank you, Madam Chair. A few things, there. This wears both my hats because some of the procurement tracking is through infrastructure, as well. That's good. That's probably why both of these are usually with the same person. That work is going on. I have asked in that department for a review of where the money is being spent in the different regions. We are conducting that overarching procurement and BIP review that we've been discussing lots and then coming to AOC for conversations and input on moving forward.

The BIP office in Hay River is the BIP office. There are two people working there...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, we will be donating that building back to you afterwards. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am a different Minister, as stated before. I have given the direction to BDIC that I would like to see the developmental side of things go forward. I believe, before, it was more of a banking type institution. We will, as mentioned, have a new CEO. That person will be selected by the selection committee, and then names will be put forward to me. I will have the final recommendation on that.

My goal is to have a person in place who is creative, who is flexible, who is approachable, who is neutral, and who is going to do what is best for the people of this territory...

If that process does exist, I will provide you with it. If that process hasn't been used in the past, I commit to you that it's going to be used in the future under my ministerialship. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm not intimately dialed into the marketing plans for the fishers, but we are continuing to partner with the FFMC to do so, and we have a large capital cost that we're going to roll over, the $500,000, so I think that would be more in the capital budget where we would be discussing the plant itself. However, I'm committed to promoting NWT fish and promoting it locally as well as interprovincially, interterritorially. Yes, we will work hard with them to promote our fishers. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. We have had an increase, actually, of -- sorry, I'm getting my accounting stuff done, end of the day here, tired. We had a sunset on the Slave geological province exploration development of $1.2 million. That's the biggest chunk there. We did see a small increase for the salary, the collective bargaining. Generally, it's the airborne geophysical survey finishing. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. First of all, I should sort of again preface that these are estimates from pre-COVID. It was not part of the process to have us update them with respect to the COVID lens, so, just to state that. One of the things, though, is we can't abandon tourism right now, saying that there are no tourists coming and therefore we should be spending this money elsewhere. We need to be ready for when tourists do start again returning. Some of this work will be towards our tourism diversification products, which was already something that we were planning to do, and we will continue...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I think this is one that I will ask Ms. Strand to answer. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Gameti program was actually funded under CAP, the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The subsidiaries in the communities are very important to the communities. I carry around a Fort McPherson bag that I was kindly presented by the Speaker. Every day, I am reminded, as I carry my computer around, of our great BDIC stories.

Again, I am not looking at things just from, "Is this turning a profit?" I recognize that there is a lot more value than just profits, and I am committed to our subsidiary companies and creating more opportunities for people in the communities...