Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier this year I made a statement in this House regarding tourism. At that time, the NWT Arctic Tourism Association had just completed its business plan and announced a vision toward increasing its marketing and promotion efforts. Its funding of $540,000 is only half of what was previously spent on tourism marketing by this government. Yet the association reported that visitor numbers had remained steady at pre-budget cut days.

This clearly points to the increased efficiencies achieved by the association. There is no doubt that there is a direct relationship between the number of visitors coming here and the spending on marketing. Compared with other jurisdictions such as Yukon or Alberta, the NWT tourism sector still has tremendous growth potential, providing marketing dollars are spent on that initiative. The association has submitted to this government a proposal and request for increased funding. For next year, their budget request is $1.48 million and for the following year, based on a job well done in the previous year, they are asking for $2.2 million.

What needs to be done now is for RWED and the association to come to an agreement over specific roles and responsibilities. For example, RWED could maintain responsibilities for strategic planning, as well as tourism research and licensing functions. The association could assume primary responsibility in such areas as media relations, consumer and travel industry shows, and operator standards. I urge this government to meet the funding needs of the association and address the coordinating roles. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause