After a detailed review of what we read and heard during our committee hearings and following productive discussions with the Minister of Finance, a majority of the committee has come to a position that we cannot support the implementation of the hotel room tax.
We have heard loud and clear that the tourism industry is in dire need of additional funding. In light of this and our present fiscal position, we urge the Minister to work with all stakeholders to develop some of the creative suggestions we heard during our review. In particular, we recommend that the Minister make available to the NWTAT, without qualification, an additional $375,000 from internal RWED reallocations.
The committee is very encouraged that the public review process acted as a catalyst for raising the public's awareness of important issues surrounding the funding challenges facing the tourism industry. Members are hopeful that the Minister of Finance and RWED and all stakeholders will take this opportunity to rise to the challenge of building consensus so that all parties can be part of the solution. In closing, the committee can do no better than repeat the impassioned words of Jim Peterson, president of the Barren Ground Caribou Outfitters Association:
"Tourism is characterized by unique and powerful links to vital issues of the day. Perhaps most fundamentally, tourism raises those issues of national identity and culture that are central to the sense of who we are. Tourism serves as a bridge between the Northwest Territories, southern Canada, the United States, and the rest of the world. Tourism helps the Northwest Territories strengthen its position by helping to forge ties of familiarity and friendships with the national and international community in promoting us as a world-class destination. As we project the best possible image of ourselves to the world, we are forced to clearly express what it means to be a Northerner." (Committee transcript, p.4)
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That concludes the committee's report.