Thank you, Mr. Speaker. These questions will be for the Minister of ITI. I would like to ask the Minister if she has had the report prepared by the Minister of the advising panel and also our NWT commercial fishing strategy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, I have not read those two documents. I do commit to the Member to getting to them as soon as possible. I have had some scheduling constraints that have made delving into every departmental item quite difficult. I will commit to the Member that I will take a read of those items. Thank you.
I was hoping she was going to say yes because I was just going to quiz her to make sure she knew what was in them. I thank her for that. The question I have is: does the Minister believe that we need to involve NWT and not southern fishers in revitalizing our commercial fishing industry?
It is my understanding that, when I speak with the department, they are looking to encourage other fishers to come from outside, to relocate to the Northwest Territories and be actual Northwest Territories fishers. At this time, I am not going to say one way or the other. I do recognize, again, the importance around the larger discussion of keeping Northerners employed and making sure our money is used for Northerners. However, it is my understanding that there is a bit of a strategy within the department that they do want to encourage the movement or relocation of fishers from the South to the North. I commit to the Member that I will look into this and maybe provide a more fulsome response in writing.
I thank the Minister for that answer. The next question is: will the Minister commit to replacing the current NWT representative sitting on the board of FFMC with somebody who is actually a fisher?
While I would not like to speak to that specific instance or person, as that is not appropriate for me, we have been having a larger conversation about the composition of our boards in the Northwest Territories and making sure that they more adequately and accurately reflect the people who they are supposed to be making decisions for. I commit to the Member that I will review the appointment of our board member and look into ensuring that that person is more representative of the people who they are speaking for.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the things I believe in is that it is important to get the straight goods, and the only way to do that is one-on-one with the people in an industry. There is not a lot of people in the fishing industry. I would ask the Minister if she would commit to meeting with the fishers on a one-to-one basis and discuss their vision for the industry and any concerns that they may have with it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
As the Member is aware, I have already started to have discussions with fisherpeople out of Hay River. I do commit to the Member to continue having those conversations. The Member has requested that I come down and meet some of the businesspeople in Hay River soon. We are trying to coordinate that meeting. I would be more than happy to meet with the fisherpeople at the same time. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
