Robert Hawkins

I’m really glad that the Minister didn’t comb over the issue as I’ve been combing through the department.

---Interjection

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I talked about a potential taskforce concept or certainly a business team that targets business growth in the Northwest Territories that reaches out and finds good business that could invest in the North and create jobs. In combing through ITI’s business plan, I didn’t see anything that focused in on attracting new business to the North. I provided a number of examples. Can the Minister tell me who’s been tasked with that type of initiative that can attract business in the Northwest Territories?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to talk about the importance of developing and implementing a strategy which could actively target and attract small and medium-sized business to locate their businesses to the NWT. What we need is good policy that helps grow the North. I believe a strong strategy that targets growth of business investment needs to have two components. The first is to determine what kinds of businesses are likely to be able to operate and expand in the NWT. Obviously, not every industry and business is best suited to our present northern climate. As well, a focus should be...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, is the Minister saying that if the NWT Construction Association is behind this, that the Department of Public Works will support it? Is the Minister as well saying that if we can prove, which I already have, that this can be implemented and supported by business in small communities, he’ll support it? Is that what the Minister is saying? Thank you.

That was quite a confusing answer. We haven’t decided what we’re doing, but we support it through the rollout. Mr. Speaker, if the Minister could make sense on the particular issue, is the government behind this initiative and are they anticipating that they’ll be involved and support this initiative? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister’s answer was very exciting. Does the Minister see any policy problems that we have that would stop something like this from getting momentum or getting off the ground immediately? I’m only concerned that policy or process of department may have issue with this. I just want to make sure that if the Minister says we can do this and he likes it, I want to make sure we can do it right away.

As the Minister says, he’s proposed the concept to the ministerial advisory panel. Actually, we did talk about this some time ago and he did suggest that he’d make sure he brought something similar to the concept to them and it sounds positive. Does the Minister see their good value for the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment with coming up with a taskforce that could target these types of initiatives as well as reach out to local businesses to see how we can dovetail our policies to do this attraction of new business to the North?

And recognizes how important it is.

---Interjection

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to table the Arts Professions Act by the Saskatchewan government. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Standing Committee on Government Operations is pleased to provide its Report on the Review the 2008-2009 Annual Report of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories and commends it to the House.

The Standing Committee on Government Operations reviewed the 2008-2009 Annual Report of the Information and Privacy Commissioner at its meeting on May 19, 2010. The committee would like to thank Ms. Elaine Keenan Bengts for her report and for her appearance before the committee.

The Information and Privacy Commissioner is an independent officer of...