Caroline Wawzonek

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.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I mean, yes, I certainly also hope that tourism continues to move forward. Right now there is I mean, NWT Tourism does do the lion's share, really, of all of our marketing. That was divested to them some years ago as being a specialty area that they can focus on. There is Northwest Territories, the Tourism 2025 still in play right now, which is still being implemented and there's funding for its implementation, and there's quite a number of funding programs still here for incomers to the industry. So, you know, and the funding has continued to increase...

Thank you, Madam Chair. So, again, Madam Chair, would look to pointing again to the list of funding programs that are going to be provided to all Members. But perhaps I'll turn to the deputy minister and see if she can add something more specific at this point. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I mean, there certainly are funds from CanNor that do come through at various points for various initiatives. Let me see if the deputy minister can speak to whether she knows what they may have funded for the City of Yellowknife.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I completely agree. There is the Tourism NWT conference bureau that sits within NWT Tourism. What I'd suggest is perhaps ensuring that there's a more direct connection between the conference bureau, which admittedly was not seeing a significant amount of incoming conferences here during COVID but is back to work now and looking forward. So perhaps making sure that they can confirm with me, again on my list of things I want to talk to them about, that they have a direct liaison to the Town of Fort Smith and to the facilities that are there. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Let me turn that to the deputy minister just to point to which line item it'll be under, please.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Only to further echo what the Premier's already said. Gender equity unit, just to be very clear, replaces what was formerly known as the women's advisory office, which had exactly one person working in it which is not a whole lot of horsepower to deal with when you have the breadth of matters that come through. As the Premier said, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and the response to the national action plan comes through gender equity as is work in terms of training departments on genderbased analysis as well as work in terms of intimate partner violence...

Thank you, Madam Chair. And, Madam Chair, not every community or every area necessarily has a visitor information centre or and not every visitor information centre is necessarily funded or operated by ITI. But I'll certainly commit to getting, as I said what that criteria it might look like, what you know, by what determination there are, just different gradient of funding that goes to visitor information centres. I can say that there certainly are asks that have come in from the town of Fort Smith and have received various funds on a project basis to support often. So, for instance...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, on my left is Pamela Strand, deputy minister. And on my right is Nina Salvador, the director of finance.