Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to follow up on my Member’s statement earlier today with questions for the Minister of ITI. I do note, in the gallery today, Ms. Lone Sorensen. She has played a real leadership role in delivering some of these NGO agricultural programs.
Could the Minister give us an update on the status of completing and launching a new Growing Forward 2 Agreement and explain how the Territorial Farmers’ Association and other stakeholders have been involved in finalizing the second draft as he has committed? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Growing Forward 2 would be an investment of $1.2 million on an annual basis and give us $6 million to put towards agricultural initiatives in the territory over the next five years. The current program expires at the end of this month. We are moving forward in looking at signing the new deal with Ottawa on a way forward for the additional funding.
Some of the areas of investment would include small scale foods, mentorship, traditional harvesting, as well as building industry capacity here in the Northwest Territories. It is very exciting for us. This represents about a half a million dollars more on an annual basis to the agricultural industry here in the Northwest Territories.
We have been consulting with the Territorial Farmers’ Association, and to get specifics on when these consultations took place and who they were with, I would certainly make that commitment to get that information back to the Member. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Minister. I know there are a number of groups and significant movers and shakers that have been involved in programs in the past. I am sure they are being consulted, so I’ll appreciate that information.
The Minister has written to tell me that the ITI regional offices in the North and South Slave and Deh Cho will take on responsibility for delivering the Small Foods Program, and the ITI agricultural consultant will do full implementation in the Beau-Del and support the Sahtu office.
As the new season soon gets underway, could the Minister commit to ensuring community partnership components figure largely in this year’s program delivery – and I urge the Minister to refer to my statement earlier today – and that program reporting will include specifics on community partnerships, mentoring and real capacity building? Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, a big component of this is that industry capacity. We have been talking to the Territorial Farmers’ Association on a training component located in Hay River, where folks from the communities would go to Hay River, receive the training and be able to take the knowledge that they have learned in Hay River back to their home communities and train others when they get back home. That, I believe, is going to be a big component of the new funding. We are working out the details on the funding and how it flows and what it ends up going to.
Rest assured, when we do come up with a plan, we will be coming to committee and seeking the indulgence of the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure and the advice of Members from across the way. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Minister. I look forward to that again. What has been happening is all of those components have been here for the work done by non-government organizations. It has not been done by the workers in the government. That’s where we need the tune-up. I would like to see the Minister working with his staff to ensure that those goals are met.
Community markets are also developing in some communities. I believe there is already one in Hay River, and the Yellowknife Commons Cooperative is beginning one in Yellowknife this summer. Is the Minister aware of these value-added activities and is the department also supporting these efforts? Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, yes I am aware of the market in Hay River and the efforts here in Yellowknife. Certainly, the Member is correct, we have to be putting the money in the hands of people who can do the most with it. In a lot of cases in agriculture, it is not much different, and that is the hands of the NGOs, people that are in the business. With the Growing Forward 2 money, I would anticipate that that is going to be the way forward, is trying to get money where it is going to make the most difference. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bromley.
Mr. Speaker, I’ve heard that the Take A Kid Trapping program is drawing dollars from the Growing Forward Fund. That obviously would be inappropriate use of those dollars. Can the Minister confirm whether that is the situation? What is the justification for that if it is? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I wasn’t aware of that. It is something that I certainly would look into. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.
