Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A number of years ago I approached ITI with the idea of a made-in-the-NWT branding program. This idea was to support our local manufacturing businesses across the North to assist them as they market their products. Voluntary, of course, but what this does is help the consumers understand the choices before them. For example, a consumer could buy windows made in the NWT, which of course incidentally are produced in Hay River, or they could buy those other brands that are not produced in the North. The importance of this program is, as when I suggested it was, the fact that we are ensuring that the consumer is educated about the exciting work being done here in the North.
A few years later, under the leadership and vision of our present ITI Minister Bob McLeod, I was very pleased that ITI ran with the idea, and since that time I’ve been hearing a lot of positive things about it. I’ve heard from many constituents about the great feedback that they’re getting when they’re trying to sell their products. Businesses are excited because their product is identified as a true northern product available for our consumers.
Yesterday I tabled some examples about how we could further the ideas to continue to capitalize on the success on this type of branding concept. I’d like to call it an in-the-NWT program. I am hopeful it will spark energy and creativity as we promote northern-grown businesses and opportunities before us.
The examples are both exciting and endless, and they can be tailored to wherever we need it. We’ve all heard about the potatoes from Norman Wells. What about grown in the NWT? Many of us know wonderful and creative filmmakers, so what about filmed in the NWT, or explored in the NWT, fished in the NWT, or, certainly, hunted in the NWT? That’s assuming, of course, there’s caribou left. The way we go. All right.
The possibilities are endless, of course. It’s really limited by the creativity we want to put into it ourselves. Northern creativity and entrepreneurial spirit is certainly out there, alive and well. This program, in-the-NWT branding, could be part of a seamless, long-term strategy to market all that our NWT has to offer. We could capitalize on the momentum already captured under this made-in-the-NWT program by finishing it off and calling it only-in-the-NWT.
I hope ITI will run with this idea and I certainly hope that they will continue the concept developed under made-in-the-NWT program and promote it under what I call the in-the-NWT. This is an opportunity for us all.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.
