Let me first say, Mr. Speaker, this is a difficult and somewhat emotional issue because I know Sam Napayok personally. I think I would like to start by saying that I'd like to commend the community, particularly the people in the community, for their efforts so far. The role of the department, through the regional director, is to try to coordinate the search efforts that are currently going on with the RCMP, the hunters and trappers and volunteers throughout the region.
It's my understanding that this has probably been one of the most extensive searches that we've had in the region for a long, long time. The RCMP have been in there, aircraft have been used and sniffing dogs have been in the community. The hunters and trappers and volunteers from Rankin, Baker and Coral Harbour are in Arviat at the present time, still searching. I'm told, by the intervention of our MP and colleague from Nunavut, Mr. Anawak, that the military was in there yesterday and today and are doing some air searches at this time. That's the status at this time.
As far as the department is concerned, the policy is that there is $1,000 or $2,000 immediate financial assistance to assist the local groups in doing a ground search. There is no policy, as such, to determine what we do beyond that at the present time.