Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with the downturn in the territorial Treasury we have to be pro-active and find alternatives to the GNWT as a way of financing and creating employment. We have to attract new dollars and capitalize on our strengths and community infrastructure.
Over the past several months in Iqaluit, we have been doing just that. In conjunction with the Town of Iqaluit, the Iqaluit and Baffin Chambers of Commerce, we have been working on a plan to market our community. We are now in the process of setting up a trade and promotion office.
The Iqaluit Trade and Promotion Office will focus on expanding and promoting our community's economic base. Last week I was in Ottawa meeting with federal officials about this office, one of the things that we are working on, is the development of Iqaluit as a cold weather testing facility for multi-national corporations. Last year, for example, Boeing airlines used Iqaluit as the cold weather testing site for their new Boeing 777 jet. Over a 5 week period, that corporation alone spent 750,000 dollars in our community. Air France has also used our airport to cold weather test a new executive jet.
The Iqaluit Trade and Promotion Office will try and capitalize on this. Iqaluit has also been the site for several major motion pictures, including Map of the Human Heart, White Dawn, ????, and Trial at Frobisher Bay, to name a few. There is now, in the works, plans to shoot a new movie in Iqaluit with a major Hollywood star. Our new office will try to promote Iqaluit as the true Hollywood North.
Mr. Speaker, I had an opportunity to meet with the previous defence minister, Mr. Collenette about our plans and accessing the FOL site. I hope to followup on these discussions with the new Defence minister, Mr. Young. These are just some of the things we are working on to help expand and enhance our community's economic viability and diversify away from government. We realize that Iqaluit Trade and Promotion Office will not solve all of our economic problems, but, Mr. Speaker, it is a step in the right direction. Thank you.