David Ramsay

When we first brought the Aboriginal Tourism Champions together, one of the first meetings was called Sharing Our Culture. What the Member is talking about is very important. It’s a discussion that I will commit to having with the Minister of ECE. I believe the museum is doing some work in that regard and we’ll certainly report back to the Member on what I find out from ECE. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department continues to support the advancement of arts and crafts across the Northwest Territories. We have a new program called the High Procurement Program where we can get out and get tanned hides and ensure that they get in the hands of artists and craft makers around the Northwest Territories. This is something that we feel is going to be very successful for artists and artisans across the territory to enable them to get to work with hides and fur products from across the Northwest Territories and incorporate those into their artwork. Thank you.

Thank you. It’s important that the Government of the Northwest Territories has the ability to direct where we want to go with the industry here in the Northwest Territories. On the policy side of things, it’s going to be our government that directs the policy direction. It’s going to be in the best interests of the Northwest Territories when our government is in control of the regulation on oil and gas activity here in the Northwest Territories.

The last time I checked, we do not have oil sands located in the Northwest Territories. I’m not sure what the Member is trying to get at, but let me be...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned in the House yesterday, our hope is to get in front of standing committee with our plans moving forward on regulating oil and gas activity here in the Northwest Territories. Our plan is to have as seamless a transition as possible. We’ve got service agreements set up. We want to ensure that we are protecting the environment and, at the same time, growing the economy here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories recognizes that our future prosperity is heavily dependent on the responsible development of our abundant natural resources. On April 1, 2014, our government will be assuming new responsibilities for the administration of public lands, resources and rights in respect of waters. This means changes for the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, which will now administer mineral exploration and development activities and regulate onshore petroleum activities in the Northwest Territories, except in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region.

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Mr. Speaker, that’s something that we could discuss with the companies that we have socio-economic agreements with. Again, I know there’s interest from the mining companies to get in front of the members’ committee to discuss the situation that he talks about with the performance of the SEAs. Again, that offer is out there. We would like to have the opportunity to get in front of the committee to talk about the issues that are in front of us on employment and opportunities to get people to live here in the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Madam Chair, Mr. Chair. I’m going to go to Deputy Minister Vician for a response to that question.

Thank you. In addition to the $25,000 that we have earmarked for the Great Northern Arts Festival, our staff, on a regional basis obviously, help with in-kind support to the festival, and have for a number of years, and will continue to provide that assistance to the arts festival in Inuvik. Thank you.

We currently have four of those positions in the Northwest Territories in four different communities across the NWT, but no, they’re there to observe and monitor and act as a liaison with the RCMP and report activity to the RCMP and monitor the situation as it happens. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Any of those marketing efforts and dollars spent would have to be done in close conjunction with the manufacturer to ensure we are maximizing the exposure, the brand and getting that brand the premium it deserves as mined, cut and polished Northwest Territories diamonds. This also includes the Polar Bear, as well, Madam Chair.