Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I guess I would hope that we would be able to set this new entity up so that it can absorb those kinds of programs. We haven't had a great run of luck in the last little while. We have had difficulty with two of our diamond cutting shops, had difficulty with a major tourism venture that seemed to have landed in Cabinet's lap. They've become subject to political accountability and, therefore, the swirl of the political world, rather than an entity like this that has a more rigid and conventional framework. I am hoping to see more of our business ventures handled under this kind of framework than in the political realm.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to conclude with a comment more than a question. It is in very broad support of one of the parts of this bill. It's covered under clause 15 in the article programs. There is a framework there that choice for the corporation to delve into providing information and support for the public and the business community. This is something that has been sadly lacking in the Northwest Territories in the past few years. That is not, to my knowledge, an easily accessible, relevant kind of business support program for small business operators in the North, either those who want the trade of business or those who are already in it and could use some ongoing support. I think in many other jurisdictions in Canada, this kind of thing is managed by community-based colleges and perhaps even private sector training schools. Here in the Northwest Territories, we really have backed out of that. I don't know that our Aurora College network provides that sort of street level business support to small businesses.
In a previous life, Mr. Chairman, I worked for the Federal Business Development Bank on a small business training program that did exactly that. The federal agency made itself available on a walk-in basis to small businesses to provide them real hard-nosed, upfront support for their businesses. I would welcome, and I think the whole business community would welcome, a business initiative by this government to provide that kind of frontline, real practical nuts and bolts, support to small businesses. I would also like to suggest, Mr. Chairman, that this kind of stuff does not need to be built from scratch. We don't have to reinvent this wheel. There are many very successful models for doing this. What we need is a delivery vehicle. I am pleased to see this corporation has the ability to do that and I would look forward to it as a priority for this corporation to undertake.
As I say, Mr. Chairman, not a question there but a suggestion and a comment. Thanks.