Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have heard my honourable colleague from Hay River North ask the Minister of ITI about the position in Hay River and being moved there. Then he talks about it being panterritorial. It is a position here in Yellowknife. Can the Minister explain why, magically, Yellowknife is the best place for a panterritorial position? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I said earlier in the House today to the Member from Hay River North that this position is based in Yellowknife because it clearly recognizes the importance of being here looking after the broader Northwest Territories, with all the initiatives that are in place in all the different regions in the NWT, and it just totally makes sense to have that job located here in Yellowknife. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the Minister for his answer. However, with decentralization today and the modernization of computers we can do things, and right now we've seen positions out there that actually are pan-territorial. So will the Minister re-evaluate this decision and actually put a position, which makes sense in the South Slave, into Hay River?
I've also answered this question today already and I said I'm not committed to moving that position out of Yellowknife. It belongs here and it needs to be here to look after the broader people of the Northwest Territories.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
I thank the Minister for the non-commitment. I mean, that's great to hear. However, we talk about decentralization and it seems that we have to be living in Yellowknife to look after the broader territory. So I understand the Minister. I will ask him again: will he re-evaluate this and see the importance of moving the position that would have a better service to the NWT in Hay River?
I don't know how many creative ways I can say it to answer this question, but I believe this job has to stay in Yellowknife and I'm committed to keeping it here.
