Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the answer from the Premier, but I’m not hearing a guiding principle or a Cabinet policy that guides this. I hear factors, but the issue, really, I’m talking about is building a framework so then it’s transparent. It’s transparent amongst Members so then we can help advocate, so if you are a community and needed a particular issue or one Member’s particular riding needed a particular focus and we were able to hold it up against the planning process that’s fair, transparent and equally understood.

Now, I know the Premier is going to respond only to this next point, but...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize and thank one of our Pages, Paige Elkin. She’s been a stalwart Page of this Assembly on many occasions. For the information of all Members of this Assembly, she’s also on our NWT curling team, and she’s also my son’s favourite babysitter. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to item 8 on the Order Paper.

---Unanimous consent granted.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister straying from the real point of the whole discussion here, which is the fact that we need a program to help attract business to invest in the Northwest Territories. That is where our population is sort of sprung off or where the opportunity lies. Would the Minister consider establishing some sort of task force program that reaches out into industry to bring industry here in the Northwest Territories as I talked about in my Member’s statement? Whether it’s call centres or attracting new business and whatnot, there are so many opportunities I don...

Well, I’m really sorry that the Minister of ITI only heard that, because that’s not what I said. I suggested perhaps taxation is the right approach. I’m not necessarily sure. This government has foregone many taxes on the diamond mines as they were established and started producing. It’s not unusual for this government to find creative ways. What I’m really asking the Minister is if he can show me and explain to this House what programs we offer to attract business and investment in the Northwest Territories. If we don’t have a specific program targeted at that focus, would he consider...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe the North is a great place to live. People are warm and friendly despite the climate some days. Certainly it’s a wonderful place to work and I want more people in Canada and the world to know this, but sometimes I find it’s one of the best kept secrets out there. So today I want to express my concern to the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment and encourage him to take on a new and bold step to help attract businesses to the Northwest Territories.

We’ve all heard about what some other provinces do to attract people and businesses. Take Saskatchewan, for...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services.

With respect to the numerous concerns about availability and access to treatment programs and services offered here in the NWT, could the Minister please provide the following:

List of all treatment programs offered that the territorial government plays a role in either financially or in any other form of partnership capacity for the past three years and for the upcoming business cycle year.

And further, please provide the detail to each treatment program in a form that outlines it with respect to financial...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Speaking to the cost of living, if there was one reason to consider on that level, the cost of living is certainly not something to brag about in the Northwest Territories. Adding the service fee to an important product such as milk seems to be a bit of a shame. I wish the government from ENR had seen that this does not help people in that form. I realize it’s a noble cause, trying to bring the containers back for recycling and I think that’s important, but to see that they’re going to keep it on such a critical product that’s so important to the health of people, I...

The Minister knows I respect him very much, but I think he’s missing the point that I’m after. I don’t mean this in a mean way, but the reality of our funding agreements and our budget are tied around federal grants. Those federal grants are tied specifically to population and growth. So 75 percent of our budget plus or minus is based on federal grants. At $22,000 per person, that’s a lot of money. A hundred people in the Northwest Territories could mean over $2 million of just federal money, not talking about tax, not talking about what they bring. I’m only asking the Minister if he would...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I was raising the issue of finding ways to attract businesses to the North, to create investment opportunities for all. My questions will be directed to the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment. Today I’d like to ask him, as my first question, what programs and services does his department offer that target specifically to attracting businesses to relocate in the North, to be established in the North. Thank you.