Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to use my Member’s statement to talk about the Prospectors Grubstake Program. Decades ago, as many of us will know, there were hundreds of little-known prospectors wandering through the Northwest Territories looking for that special find. Some of those prospectors used every single resource that they could scrounge together and find their special stake that would strike them rich.
In the ‘30s we remember Gilbert Labine and C.E. St. Paul who discovered uranium in the Great Bear Lake area, as well as in 1934 many of us have heard of the name of Johnny Baker and Herb Dixon who discovered gold in the Yellowknife area. Even as recently as 1991 when Charles Fipke and Stewart Blusson discovered diamonds in Lac de Gras which has forever changed the North and the course that we’ve been travelling in the mineral history before us.
Prospectors make a significant contribution to the Northwest Territories, and with that said, they also make a contribution to the world. They create jobs and help stimulate our local economy, but it also reminds us how the Northwest Territories is an element and key player in the world economy.
Today’s economy has been built on mining and we can’t forget that at any chance we can, to pause and recognize that. At one time northern maps were dotted everywhere with little stakes and claims. That’s starting to fall by the wayside and many people have called for the re-establishment of the Prospectors Grubstake Program. I think this is something in one small way that the Department of ITI can get behind and help stimulate the economy. As we know, these are small businesspeople who are out there making a difference and certainly helping keep people employed.
The program was cancelled in 2008-2009 and at the time of its cancellation it was worth about $50,000. It may seem small, but it made a great difference to those folks prospecting. At the same time there were contributions to the NWT Geoscience Office that helped administer the program and training. At one time they even trained up to 30 courses within a year to ensure that people were out there learning how to get out and prospect.
In closing, the diamond rush may not be a thing of the past yet. A gold rush is certainly something that we have seen gone by. There are many yet untold stories before us and I think that ITI needs to start playing a significant role here to help our depressed economy when it comes to mineral exploration.
Later today I will have questions for the Minister of ITI regarding the Prospectors Grubstake Program and let’s see if we can bring it back to support our mining industry.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
