David Ramsay

Mr. Speaker, what I will do is I will have a discussion with the Minister of MACA and we will try to find a solution to do this. It’s important that agricultural pursuits don’t have the hurdles to go over. In this case, it looks like there is a hurdle there and that’s the issue of land and the availability of land.

I want to assure the Member that at the earliest possible opportunity we will have a discussion with MACA and we will try to sort this out. Thank you.

A policy, a strategy on agriculture, I mean, it’s not going to be worth the paper it’s written on if we don’t have access to land, so I agree with the Member.

We are going to continue to work with Lands and MACA to ensure that where available, we will make land available for agriculture here in the Northwest Territories. The Members don’t have to look any further than in this room to see support for agriculture. Here in the Northwest Territories we’ve had a great deal of success in a lot of our communities across the territory. When it comes to growing this sector, we feel there is a really...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too wanted to recognize the Consul General from France, Monsieur Fleury. Bienvenue. I also wanted to recognize Andrew John Kenny, former chief and well-respected elder from the community of Deline. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, NWT businesses keep our economy strong, employ local residents and supply us with goods and services.

Several NWT businesses have been recognized for their success lately and I would like to take this time to highlight some of them.

The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment partnered with the Inuvik Chamber of Commerce to host the Small Business Awards last month. I would like to congratulate Beaufort Beauty, Inukshuk Catering and the owners of Alestine’s and Cloud 9 restaurants, who all received awards. These businesses continue to provide excellent products and services...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Monfwi, that Bill 42, An Act to Amend the Residential Tenancies Act, be read for the first time.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “Government of the Northwest Territories Contracts over $5,000 Report for the Fiscal Year Ending March 31, 2014.” Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, there are other programs that trappers can avail themselves of. Of course, there is the Genuine Mackenzie Valley Fur Program and the Grubstake Program that gets folks out. Based on the amount of fur that they think they are going to get, we can advance them some money before they go out and get to the trapping.

We have programs, but if the Member is calling on us to have a look at those programs and the level of support, that’s something that maybe, perhaps in next year’s business plans we could have a look at this and the level of funding that we do provide. Of course, like...

Thank you. We do have programs available on a regional basis, as well, and I’d encourage community leaders in Enterprise to contact our office in Hay River. We could have somebody in the community to discuss funding options for the community, but I think before we move too far down that road we really do need to satisfy the land tenure issue on the former weigh scale site. That’s something, as I mentioned earlier, that will help the Member and the community to try to sort out in due course. Thank you.

Thank you. I understand the community was and had made application for several large parcels of land in and around the community, and that is something, as I mentioned to the Member in my previous response, that I’d like to help the community and the Member out with in trying to understand better how that former site could go to the community of Enterprise if their intent is to have a visitors centre there. I’ve talked many times in this House about the Economic Opportunities Strategy and the role tourism plays here in the Northwest Territories.

At some point in time, I certainly would like to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think it’s Take Your Kid to Work Day, not take your kid to school day, but anyway, I just wanted to recognize Gayla Thunstrom and say that I appreciate all of her good, hard work and congratulate her on her recent re-election. Congratulations.

I also want to recognize Ms. Tracy St-Denis, who does so much good work not only for the department of ITI but also for the United Way. Thank you.