Caroline Wawzonek

Thank you, Madam Chair. So, Madam Chair, this is just the Business Development Investment Corporation, and it's just so the 15 staff mentioned here are really just for the BDIC. And they do a lot of their work, while based in headquarters, they support staff, ITI staff who will deliver their frontline work out in communities through the EDO offices that are based in communities around the Northwest Territories. And at this point, there's no intention necessarily to change the fundamental functioning of the BDIC. There is a lot of work underway right now to change well, to change their...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I think it's been said before there have been regular meetings with the LNR departments, Lands, ENR, or now ECC and ITI, and I can certainly suggest that we put this on our shared agenda.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I don't really have any authority and don't have the authority constitutionally to do anything per se. That said, Mr. Speaker, having the opportunity to raise the issue publicly, as the Member's doing here, probably is one of the strongest things we can do to get all of the public aware, and they can make their own choices and decisions and participate as members of the public visavie the federal government in terms of raising the voices from the North. As I've indicated, we certainly can write in general with respect to this decision, keeping in mind that it is...

Thank you, Madam Chair. So, you know, obviously, Madam Chair, my comments have to be limited to within the scope of what the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment can speak to. EIA is coming next so, you know, heads up to my colleagues who are going to be sitting here shortly. But with respect to what the Department of ITI can do, you know, I can speak, Madam Chair, to the work we've already done with the Intergovernmental Council and more on the development of the Mineral Resources Act regulations. But ITI has been the lead department to enact and to put forward and to work with...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the signage is a shared initiative with ENR, ITI, and Infrastructure. I believe that we are responsible for the parking?

Thank you, Madam Chair. And, Madam Chair, I've certainly not heard it proposed from within the department or with colleagues over at Infrastructure that Alberta Power can come up here in any sort of easy or cost-efficient basis. Certainly would love to be frankly wrong about that, Madam Chair. But there are efforts underway to move to renewables where possible, that some of the parks are seeing a move to having some small scale various renewable initiatives, particularly around solar. So again, I can perhaps get back to the Member with respect to what's happening. It's often an...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, that probably is the answer there is probably going to have to look as much to the arts funding that is being proposed in the main estimates here as much as it is to tourism programming. But, again, as I had indicated earlier when I made a commitment that I will go back to NWT Tourism around accommodation issues and what work they may be doing, perhaps I'll add to that list, and I no doubt am due for a touch base with them, that we can speak specifically about what we can do to increase access to the arts sector as well. And again, you know, they are...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I can't say on the perspective of what Indigenous governments' view on it might be. What I can speak to a bit more is with respect to the foraging and harvesting opportunities, you know, for example Ecology North, I believe, has been running tours out to do harvesting walks or foraging walks here just in Yellowknife. So to the extent that these are the people who understand and know the land the best, I would think those opportunities are there. Whether they want to commodify that and turn that into a tourism product, again, there is funding opportunity for...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, there was a federal-provincial-territorial meeting just not that long ago in Vancouver, and it certainly I think was reflective that the experience across much of Canada is similar to ours, which is we're seeing a return to some degree, but also acknowledging that a lot of the operators are not uniformly back to where they were and necessarily uniformly back to being in a position to welcome back the tourists who do seem to be coming back in terms of the demand. So there is still some disconnect in that respect. We're not alone in experiencing that.

As far...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I believe it is open at least largely open, to be this summer, Madam Chair.