Richard Lafferty, president of NWT Arctic Tourism (NWTAT) and his staff led the committee through a very comprehensive presentation of the history and objectives of the association. Mr. Lafferty assured the committee that the association had a broad representative base and said:
"It is a fairly broad and dynamic organization, and it is an aboriginal organization, which many people, including a lot of aboriginal leaders - perhaps they just do not know. We have been recognized by Aboriginal Business Canada as being an aboriginal organization, and we can access different programs for specific projects because of that." (Committee transcript, p.3)
Representing over 250 members from different sectors of the tourism industry, Mr. Lafferty explained the team approach that was used in the development of their tourism strategy (NWT Tourism - The 2006 Challenge and its companion document, Tourism in the Northwest Territories: Setting a Course for Action). The committee was very impressed with the work that the NWTAT has done to date given the limited funds which are at the disposal of the association and agrees with Mr. Lafferty that "NWT Arctic Tourism achieves maximum results with a minimum budget."
The committee advised Mr. Lafferty that the majority of hotel operators who appeared before them did not feel they had been involved in either the development of the five-year tourism strategy or the NWTAT annual business plan. In response to these concerns, Mr. Lafferty stated:
"Everybody is welcome to that plan. The Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development has it. We work with them consistently with it. All 250 members have it, municipalities, the MLAs. It is out there.
If we have missed anybody, all that they have to do is, if they take out a membership in Northwest Territories Arctic Tourism, they get it automatically. If they do not have a membership then it is certainly not secret, by any means.
We encourage participation and input to it." (Committee transcript, p.30)