Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Traditionally the building season is in June and July, and this House ends hopefully by the end of this month. Does the Minister intend to introduce his new strategy before this House prorogues?

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We will make every attempt to do so. Thank you.

Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism. On Friday, February 26, 1993, I asked the Minister some questions regarding the building on strengths package tabled in 1990. The strategy that I am referring to is based on the model of identifying and building on community and regional strengths. In one of the responses, the Minister indicated the building on strength package was only one of the documents he is still using. What are the other planning documents being used by the department? Mahsi.

Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Speaker, when you cling to one document and you say this is the strategy you are going to adopt, you cannot preclude other opportunities as they arise. So, we take the input from communities, from regions, from our offices, and from people who go to our offices and we take their aspirations and the direction they would like to travel in and put that together and say, "Here is more information that is available to us." We are trying to use that information to support economic development in the various communities and regions across the Northwest Territories.

The other documents we might be using are studies we would be completing, whether they are to do with parks, visitor information or statistics which are provided to us which indicate tourism is on the increase in a particular area, or on the decrease in a particular area. All those documents, figures, facts and data may make us perhaps change our thinking or tell people that they should be changing their direction as a result of the economy. It is a moving thing and we use all of those documents to help us try and provide more jobs and a better economy in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister has indicated here that he is using a moving target approach on our economy. He also indicated that the documents which I referred to are still being used, which is good. My point is that there does not seem to be a real overall strategy by the Department of Economic Development and Tourism in the north. The economy is very poor in smaller communities and it seems to me that the approach here indicated is first come, first serve and those who can fend for themselves are listened to. There are small communities which do not have those kinds of resources. Is there anything in the Minister's department which would help these communities that cannot come forward and fend for themselves? Could he explain to the House how he is approaching the situation? I would appreciate it. Mahsi.

Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Speaker, the programs of the Department of Economic Development and Tourism are directed at level II and III communities. They get a better break on programs than level I communities. Some of the level I communities do not think that is fair, Mr. Speaker. So, already we are directing better access to level II and III communities. All of the communities in the Northwest Territories have access to the programs and they have access to our people. Mr. Speaker, I want to point out, and I have said this before in this House, the direction we are taking right now is that we will allow the communities to tell us what they would like to do. We are doing that in a number of ways, by either listening to the communities or allowing them to direct their own economic development officers to set the priorities the community wants to address. That is another way the communities can go along at their own pace and do the kinds of things they want to do. We are not doing that everywhere yet, but that is the growing trend across the territories. At this time, I think there are at least six communities involved in this process, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, if there are communities that do not feel they are being paid enough attention, if they have aspirations they do not think are being addressed, I would like to know which communities they are and I will make sure that EDOs travel into those communities to sit down and discuss their problems. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. In one of the Minister's responses of last Friday, he indicated the department has found that the views of the community and the department may differ. According to the unedited Hansard on Friday, February 26, 1993, the Minister said, "If the communities are in agreement with us on what we feel is their potential, that is the basis for us to provide them with assistance and the direction we would like to take them." Mr. Speaker, this sounds like the department is somewhat calling all the shots. Is the Minister's position that it is the role of his department to make the decision as to the potential and the appropriate direction for the growth of each community? Mahsi.

Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Speaker, we would like the communities to tell us what they want to do, but we are not going to sit idly by and watch a community do something that we do not think is in their best interest. Yes, we will take their direction, but we will not take their direction at all costs. There has to be a workability and some economics as to what the community wants to do. I want to impress upon Members of the House that we are not particularly interested in going to a community and saying, "This is what we think you should do." We might make that suggestion to them, but if they choose not to go with us in that venture, or whatever it is, then we just will not do it, Mr. Speaker. We are not going to force anyone into anything. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Item 5, oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This will be my last supplementary. The documents that I made references to, in the past, the SCONE report and the documents from the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, from the last Legislative Assembly, these documents were developed through a long and complicated process from community and regional interest groups. This set direction for the government to take in trying to deal with the big problem of economic development in the north. The Minister is saying he is using just one of these documents and he is concentrating on each community. It seems to be a bush fire approach or first come, first serve approach. Could the Minister tell the House if there is going to be an overall plan for the Northwest Territories, perhaps through a consultation process or a conference of some sort, just to get a good picture of the entire north and see where we are heading at this time? It seems to be we are all over the place and there is no real clear direction on where we are going in terms of economic development. Mahsi.

Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Speaker, it is not the first time I have heard we do not know where we are going or there is no clear direction. We know where we are going, Mr. Speaker. We are going ahead. We are trying to get those people jobs. We are trying to create a better economy in the Northwest Territories. We have decentralized in order to get some of those smaller communities going. We still have our contribution programs going, but we are trying to get people into manufacturing. We are changing in housing and breaking down packages so manufacturers in the Northwest Territories can build items which can be used in our housing units. We are negotiating contracts so more people in the Northwest Territories get jobs from the money spent by the Government of the Northwest Territories.

Our business incentive policy is becoming more and more effective. More of our money is being spent in the Northwest Territories. In the resource industry, we know where we are going. We are suggesting a corridor between Yellowknife and Coppermine with a port at the end of it, whereby mines can get to those minerals. However, we are saying to the mining companies, "You have to hire in the north and you have to do business in the north." In the oil and gas area, in the Sahtu, there has been an agreement reached that there will be some seismic data shot next winter. That is encouraging. The people up there are saying to us, "After that, perhaps we will look at some land issuance and get some more wells being drilled in that particular area, but, we want to be included and we want to be hired."

In the Delta, the same sort of thing is going on. There is a possibility of a small diameter pipeline coming out of the Delta and going down to Norman Wells. Hondo Oil has just been in here talking to us and no one said no to Hondo Oil, but they were told the same thing, "You better do business in the Northwest Territories, and you better hire people from the Northwest Territories." In the renewable resource sector across the Northwest Territories, we are selling more fish. That is what we want to do. We are processing fish in the Northwest Territories. We are marketing more arts and crafts.

I know Mr. Dent is constantly giving me a hard time about the store in Toronto, but we are moving more products out of the Northwest Territories. That is what we intend to do. Mr. Speaker, perhaps we do not have a plan with "I"s dotted and "T"s crossed and we cannot tell you what is going to happen on Tuesday in August sometime, but we do cling to those principles of doing more business in the Northwest Territories, encouraging more people to get into business in the Northwest Territories, stopping the southerners coming in here and taking those jobs, and training our people so they can work in those industries, whatever they may be. We think we know where we are going. We are solidly behind the Northwest Territories, its people, its businesses and its communities. We will do whatever it takes to make sure the economy expands.

This thing changes drastically every week, Mr. Speaker. The last one was a question in the House today on Colomac Mine. That came out of the blue. Obviously, we are looking at that now and saying, "How can we turn that around to assist people in this area and get the Dogrib people back to work? How can we work it into the Dogrib's plan of generating electricity so they can sell their hydro power?" We believe we know the direction we are going in. Perhaps I have not been clear enough before, but, Mr. Speaker, that is where we are at, that is where we are going. We are going ahead. Thank you.

Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Pudlat.

Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not certain about the issue, but I am prepared to have my officials look into the matter and hopefully resolve the concern of the honourable Member.