Kieron Testart

The question was about capital, but the Minister has moved on to another one of PDAC's concerns, which is access to land, which follows land availability, access to geoscience information, and the regulatory environment. I would like to ask questions about the quality of geoscience information that is available. I know this government has made significant improvements to geoscience. Can the Minister speak to that, and what is the feedback from stakeholders at PDAC on the quality and accessibility of our geoscience data?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment spoke of his recent attendance at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada Conference, otherwise known as PDAC. Can he update the House as to his experience there and whether or not we are going to see some results from the conference? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. It seems like this issue could have been avoided if those changes were properly communicated. My understanding was, again, that this was a cost-cutting measure and not a result of security changes. What is the department doing to ensure that those kinds of changes that are altering the duties of correctional officers who are working at that facility are effectively communicated and understood? I know the deputy minister spoke to his belief that the officers are better informed, but what policies have they put in place to ensure those operational changes are properly...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. What recreational programming was being provided by the recreational program officer? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Again, training concerns were identified as a key issue by staff at the correctional facility, who contacted Regular Members raising their concerns. How is the Minister addressing those concerns around staff training in this budget? Thank you.

Mr. Chair, the issue of correctional officer training has been raised in this Assembly before. It has been a concern of many of the staff at the facility. The Minister is quite aware of this. I am surprised that he does not have those numbers here. Can he give an approximation of the resources dedicated to training in this budget? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister touched on this previously, but the regulatory environment in the Northwest Territories is of course of deep concern for the mineral development industry. PDAC lists several concerns: the organizational model on processes adopted by relevant regulatory bodies, inadequate resources for regulatory bodies leading to delays in processing applications, and finally politically induced delays in the regulatory process. What is the Minister doing to ensure we have a sound regulatory process that does not lead to delays in advancing exploration of mineral resource...

Thank you to the Minister. It is always good to hear our Ministers are being productive when they are looking for more investment in our economy. One of the issues that PDAC lists as a key consideration is access to capital, and they note that exploration is the riskiest part of mineral development, with only 1 in 10 exploration projects leading to drilling and only 1 in 10,000 leading to a mine, and that access to capital and financial incentives is crucial to securing the success of those projects.

What is the Minister doing to ensure that exploration companies have access to capital? What is...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have no other opening comments besides the comments I made in the review committee's report that just occurred. I believe that we are ready to proceed with review of the bill. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this Assembly recommend that the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs develop a funding policy which provides clear guidance as to the funding eligibility requirements, to guide the disbursement of lottery funding under the new Western Canada Lottery Act. Thank you, Mr. Chair.