Wally Schumann

Mr. Speaker, we are investing in an economy that will give the Northwest Territories residents and their families the opportunity to prosper, and give the government the financial means to pay for programs and services our territory and its people need.

This work is important to both sides of this House. Regular Members have played an important role to help move the work of this government, and with that collaboration we are able to support better diversification of our economy. Our residents deserve the opportunity to achieve economic self-determination, and this House can be proud of the work...

Yes, we can have a look at it. I know that the department does community-based tannery workshops, and we will continue to do that across the Northwest Territories, but if the Member has any ideas around some home tanning kits ideas, I would gladly sit down and discuss it with them.

I know there is ongoing work on Buffalo River bridge and the Hay River bridge moving forward on the bundles that we have allocated the money to. The specifics around Little Buffalo River bridge, I will have to get the details on that and see if there is any planned work on that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I do not have that type of detail with me. I know I have a budget for chipsealing across the Northwest Territories, and we continue to move that forward through our various bundles. I will get that information for the Member, when he can expect to have that highway completely chipsealed.

Mr. Speaker, our government made a commitment in its mandate to supporting mineral exploration and the mining sector through a number of actions that I want to update Members on. Our government recognizes the need for a strong, diverse economy where all NWT residents have a chance to get ahead.

The foundation of our economy is socially and environmentally responsible resource development. The Northwest Territories' abundant natural resources are not only key to growing and sustaining our economic future, but are also essential to lowering the cost of living, as well as developing training...

A five-year review was put on that, and the Premier has asked the federal government to try to advance that. That is where that is at right now presently. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As I have said, through devolution, a number of pieces of legislation that are coming forward actually impact the mineral resources. It is not just the Mineral Resources Act. There is the Mackenzie Valley Resource Act. There is the Lands and Water Act, carbon price, and all of these sorts of things. All of these have to work in sync together to make sure they are not conflicting with each other.

The challenge, I guess, around the Mackenzie Valley Resource Act is it is still under federal legislation. I believe the Premier has had conversations with the Prime Minister about bringing that within...

This isn't about just cutting up the pie to make it equal for everybody in the Northwest Territories. Tourism is a growing market in the Northwest Territories; we're using it as one of the main factors of diversifying our economy.

We have spent money all over the place trying to support the industry, not just in Yellowknife, which gets a significant amount of visitors. We are trying to spread it out across the territory to make our great land more accessible and more enjoyable for all tourism participants who come to the NWT.

We have community tourism coordinators, Aboriginal tourism, a...

I can tell the Member that we are continuing with the support that we gave the Northern Frontier Visitors' Centre. The same allocation is going to the City of Yellowknife in the interim moving forward, so whatever funding was not used up by the Northern Frontier Visitors' Centre in this fiscal year, the remaining amount will be going to the City of Yellowknife.

With the development of the Mackenzie Valley Genuine Valley Fur Program, the fur procurement programs by ITI, fewer harvesters are looking at owning tanning operations, or doing their own tanning operations.

I can speak to the department of the region in the South Slave actually looking at the exact same thing, I believe, that was proposed in the Beaufort Delta, a viable option of doing a tannery in the South Slave. When we get these results back, I would gladly share them with the Member.