Thank you, Madam Chair. As has already been said, the northern labour market is very gloomy and we have a lot of unemployment, specifically in all the communities throughout the territories and I do not see that this government is going to be the generator itself of a lot of employment over the next couple of years. We are holding the line on our employment possibilities. Hopefully we have come to the end of our layoffs. But the fact that we are not creating jobs as a government employer and the fact that our population is growing substantially is creating a real conundrum for young people and for those who are out of work and looking for work. So far, of course, we are going to be remembered by people for our cutback efforts. I hope that this particular program can set us on the road to changing peoples minds a bit about what we are going to be noted for. I think there is a need for a dual program in my mind to generate a more positive outlook. Certainly, one is an infrastructure program where short term jobs can be created, especially in the communities, because it is very true, how do you create permanent employment in a community? It is extremely difficult because there is no economy there. Nothing for people to do there. But by the same token, we also have to remember that we need to have sustainable jobs. We cannot just put 100 percent into jobs that are short term. We have to try and build, in this whole program, a long term outlook as well.
I am leading to, of course and as everybody else agrees and has said, we know that business is the area that this employment can be provided in. In order to do that we have to provide the environment for small business and larger businesses to be able to create the jobs. Business and entrepreneurs are going to be the engine for our future economy. It is important that the government, in its process, looks at its particular departments and programs and aligns those programs and services to directly support those private sector initiatives but I want to watch that we do not get into a funding process to business where it interferes with competing businesses.
I have gone through this myself in my past, where government programs are established to provide grants and supports and it is given in a competitive environment where one company gets it and the other company does not get it and one company has to lay off workers, the other company is able to expand. That is a very real fact and it occurs frequently when government establishes its programs so we need to ensure that what we produce is very fair, very accessible to everybody, and that it does not disrupt the private sector portion of our industry. When I looked at this program, on a general basis, I think it is needed. I am glad the government is doing it. I want to compliment the government on one specific area already, and that is the Student Employment Program. I spoke the other day about that and I think the government is on the right track. You are helping private industry to create those summer jobs and I think that is very complimentary.
I would like to hear from the Minister about the Investment Support Program, what is happening in that end? Because, again, I think the Aurora Fund is a very good program and we have raised a lot of money. The Minister also had some other thrusts and perhaps he could tell us a little more about that.
Businesses do need encouragement and support. I do not know right off the top of my head what to suggest, but perhaps there are methodologies by which we could do this. I know our taxes here in the territories are lower than elsewhere in the country, but so they should be. Perhaps we should look at that and say, maybe they should be even lower because our environment is pretty expensive in which to operate, especially when you go outside of areas like Yellowknife.
The answer, in the long run, is that we need more mega projects. We need more mining projects. There is a tremendous spin-off of that. We need more oil and gas projects because they are the ones that provide extensive jobs. Mining alone, over the past 5 years, has provided a lot of operators in the western Arctic with opportunities to do expediting work, provide employment for people. It has been done through the exploration work, exploration camps, geologists get jobs, the local firms here have certainly benefited. Frankly, I do not know what we would have done had we not had this mining activity take place, which started back in 1992. I want to compliment a guy like Chuck Fipke for what he has done because, ladies and gentlemen, he persevered for 10 years to find that source. Look at what it has done for us. Yes, he is a southerner, but we sometimes have to say, southerners are going to play a major, major role with us in developing our territory and we should sometimes welcome the input of southerners.
We also need a large infrastructure program. We need a highways to resources program. It will open up the areas that we are in to, but that ties in with the settlement of treaty rights and land claims and so we have an urgency to encourage the federal government and the aboriginal groups to address these issues. While we do not have a direct hand in that, I think we need to continually support that effort.
I was going to address Mr. Steen's comments, Madam Chair, regarding the division of these assets. Yes, it is true the east has its infrastructure program. I am going to be sensitive as well. The east has needed a lot and they are obviously getting $150 million but I would like us to be sensitive to what Mr. Steen has said, there is perhaps some thought to be put to that. I think that, additionally, in the training end, I feel we do need to put money into training and education. I agree with Mr. Steen. How many times do we send people through programs? The bottom line is job creation, that is what it is all about and that has to be the first thing. I personally feel we have got to do that through mega projects, infrastructure, job creation programs in the communities, short term base if necessary and support ultimately, very good support for our local territorial industries because with those mega projects, we will get the spin off businesses. Thank you, Madam Chair.