This is page numbers 561 - 592 of the Hansard for the 12th Assembly, 3rd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was chairman.

Topics

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Brian Lewis Yellowknife Centre

I have a very brief comment, Mr. Chairman. When I talk about entrepreneurial spirit, I am talking about individuals, an individual who has some kind of vision or idea that he or she wants to pursue. I am not only talking about the various development corporations. They have their own

structure and their own way of doing business and making decisions, et cetera. It seems to me that what is missing in the Northwest Territories, is that individual who says, "Look I am going to do this," and goes ahead and does it. Perhaps he does it with a small amount of money of his own assisted by whatever system is in place to do it. The way we are going is really cutting the ground from under that particular development.

As far as the other concern about sectors which are already filled, nearly every one of those was filled because one person had a vision, went after it and created it from nothing. That is the challenge. What other people are around who could do exactly what Robinson Trucking has done, for example, where one man started off in the 1960s and created a huge enterprise because of hard work, investment, and everything else that he has made. He was not a rich man, he was a poor man.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair John Ningark

Thank you. Are there any general comments? Mr. Pudlat.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Kenoayoak Pudlat Baffin South

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a brief question for the Minister. In the Northwest Territories there is a committee which oversees economic development. I would like to clarify this question. During the last month there was a person who went into Lake Harbour to set up a bank to assist entrepreneurs. They said they were able to lend this particular person some money to start up a business. He was told that if he did not have sufficient funds to start the business up then they would be able to help him. However, he had a little bit of money to start out with so he was denied the funding. I would like clarification from the Minister as to whether this is in fact true? Do you need to have a certain amount of money to get start-up funding? Thank you.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair John Ningark

Mr. Minister.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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John Pollard Hay River

Mr. Chairman, access to GNWT programs varies on whether you are a level I, II or III community. I am not sure of the individual case which the Member is talking about. However, I will certainly have someone take a look at it and meet with the Member to discuss this case. To reiterate, there are varying levels of contributions for business. In the level I communities it would be the highest. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair John Ningark

Thank you. Are there any general comments? Mr. Pudlat.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Kenoayoak Pudlat Baffin South

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I wanted to make myself clearer. For instance, if a person is to start up a business there are some programs or special committees which oversee these kind of operations. This person who went to Lake Harbour went around asking if there were any people who were interested in starting up businesses. There was this one person who indicated that he had some interest in it. He talked with the EDO. He was told he would need to have a lower income in order to be eligible for this contribution program. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair John Ningark

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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John Pollard Hay River

Mr. Chairman, I would like to check this out because I know the community economic development officer, who is funded by the federal government through DIAND, went to Lake Harbour from Iqaluit with regard to starting up a lending circle. I am not sure if this was something which this person did or something which one of our employees through Economic Development and Tourism did. I would like to research this more. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair John Ningark

Thank you. Are there any general comments? Mr. Zoe.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Henry Zoe

Henry Zoe North Slave

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yesterday, I questioned the Minister with regard to community and regional plans for Economic Development. If I recall correctly, the Minister indicated that they were working on updating various plans. Mr. Chairman, the Minister is aware the North Slave region is anticipating to conduct the industrial development strategy. I have raised this similar concern with the other affected departments, Education, Renewable Resources and others. I have informed them our group is undertaking this initiative. I was hoping to see something within the definitive objectives for this year to assist the North Slave region to do this work. Is the department going to be assisting our region with the request which was made to him with regard to the development of this particular strategy? I believe this is the only request to date that has come forward to the government in terms of developing a particular regional strategy for a particular region.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Tony Whitford

Mr. Pollard.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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John Pollard Hay River

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Bailey got a call on it last night from Al Jamal so I have not been brought up to speed on it. We will sit down with Mr. Jamal to discuss the issue and see if there is some way we can assist. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Pollard. Mr. Zoe.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Henry Zoe

Henry Zoe North Slave

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have been keeping close tabs with my region and they have been putting more meat on the paper per se and they came out with draft three last week with regard to what they want to do. More and more it is getting to be close to the final document and I hope, before the end of this current fiscal year, that they can get started. Can the department assure our region that Economic Development and Tourism will be assisting them in terms of human resources or actual resources, cash in other words?

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 586

The Chair

The Chair Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Zoe. Mr. Pollard.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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John Pollard Hay River

I think Mr. Zoe was quite frank there because I was going to say what he was putting on the paper, Mr. Chairman, were more zeros on the back of the numbers. I do not know what the extent of the request is going to be, neither does the department. It will be handled just like any other request through the department. We are interested in sitting down with them and working out with Mr. Jamal exactly what it is the Dogrib Nation wants and how we can assist them. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Pollard. General comments. Mr. Gargan.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Samuel Gargan Deh Cho

I have been looking at the department's overview and the definitive objectives. Do you have anything

with regard to Expo in Seville, or is that hidden? Do we have a report?

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Gargan. Mr. Pollard, a question about the "pain in Spain."

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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John Pollard Hay River

I knew you were going to say that, Mr. Chairman. I am glad to say there is nothing in this budget about Seville, however there will be two documents which Members will see this session. One will be a supplementary appropriation for a write-off and the other will be the audited statements of the Expo extravaganza. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Minister. General comments. Line by line.

Directorate

Total O and M, $2.629. Agreed?

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

---Agreed

Policy And Planning

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Tony Whitford

Policy and planning on page 15-11. Total O and M, $678,000. Agreed?

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

---Agreed