Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In regard to this review, what attempt has been made by the department or the Minister's office to inform these two vibrant groups, the McPherson project and the fur project in Aklavik to make them aware of these changes that are happening within the department and their involvement regarding this review?

Mr. Speaker, we have asked the new President of the Development Corporation, Mr. Koe, to prepare, with the assistance of the board of the Development Corporation a new business plan with a reduced operating budget for this year. I believe the meetings between the deputy minister of my department and Mr. Koe, the new President of the Development Corporation, they have started as of today. They have begun to undertake work to review the operations of the Development Corporation and to see how it could perhaps improve on the way it operates.

Some of the questions that come up, Mr. Speaker, for instance, are the size of the headquarters operation and the amount of money allocated to Arctic Trading which is the marketing arm of the Development Corporation. With division the number of subsidiaries operating under the Development Corporation have been reduced dramatically. The quantity of products that could be marketed have also been reduced substantially because the Eastern Arctic is now choosing to set up their own independent operations and so it has become necessary to redo the business plan and review the operations of the Development Corporation. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the concerns I had from both managers in Aklavik and McPherson is that the interest that is shown from the department in regard to the Business Development Corporation, and also the Minister's office of making attempts to go in to see for themselves exactly what these operations are made of and who these individuals are that are producing these products. I would like to ask the Minister if he can assure myself and the people in Aklavik and McPherson that he will make an attempt, along with Mr. Koe, to go into both of these communities and see for yourselves first-hand exactly what is being done in those communities, so you could get a feel for basically the pride that these people put into developing these products. Can the Minister give me that commitment?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will be prepared to sit down with the Member of the Legislature to look at the earliest date that could be possible and convenient for all of us to pay a visit to Fort McPherson and Aklavik and perhaps Tuktoyaktuk to review the operations of those subsidiaries there. I am prepared to do that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Regarding the question about marketing, it is one thing that seems to have been really lacking from those subsidiaries, that they were not involved in any marketing of products, or even involved in talking to the people that are in southern Canada who market these products and educating these people on exactly who the people are that do produce these products and where these communities are. Where is Tuktoyaktuk, where is Fort McPherson, where is Aklavik? I think as an educational tool it is important that they play a more hands-on involvement in anything that happens with marketing the products that they produce. Can the Minister also make some assurances that they will also consider looking at the involvement of these enterprises that this department holds so that they are involved in all aspects of producing these products?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There have been some initial discussions with Mr. Koe to look at the marketing arm of the Development Corporation and its Arctic Trading Company Ltd. to see whether it is the preferred and most convenient way of marketing the products that are developed through the subsidiaries, whether there is more local

control and input necessary, or whether there is a blending of those two types of approaches to marketing that could be achieved. So, it is the intention of Mr. Koe to speak to the subsidiaries to discuss with them the future of Arctic Trading and the preferred approach to marketing in the future by the subsidiaries involved. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. DIAND did do a report and it was some 60 pages in size. I guess I am cynical from time to time, Mr. Miltenberger, because, in this case I am cynical. A report was done of 60 pages, and yet we hear rumours about another report having to be prepared, another report having to be studied, in order to get this transfer brought about. I would like to know if the Minister may be aware of whether further study is being done on this issue at this particular time?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In our motion of two years ago, we also asked that an inventory be requested from the federal government. There are other departments beyond Northern Affairs, such as Fisheries and Oceans and the Department of Environment, which apparently have substantial individuals or positions dedicated to northern work. It would be nice to have that inventory. I wonder if the Minister could tell us if he can pursue the direction of that motion to get an inventory of federal positions in the other departments? Thank you.