Thank you. In my earlier response, I didn't want to give the suggestion that we have programs that are application-based if people don't
take advantage of those. Oh well, too bad, the money moves on to those who are able to take advantage of those.
I think, in our discussion with Member Braden, there were a number of very good points raised about our role in helping develop business capacity. I think that is a critical component of what we need to do, what we currently do but need to be doing a better job of. To suggest that people have to just wake up and smell the opportunities and take advantage of them I think is patently unfair. I think we have to work very closely with people in all our communities. I don't think we can exclude any communities, by the way. There are large companies in Yellowknife that certainly don't need our help, but there are struggling, potential, budding entrepreneurs who don't have the credit rating to go to a chartered bank. I don't think we can discriminate against them because they happen to be located in a larger centre. I think we need to use our Community Futures organizations to build up that capacity and we need to make sure we work with people to be able to take advantage of opportunities.
It would be the same thing as suggesting that communities...I'll use our new RPDP program as an example; that while there are all these opportunities that are going to stem from the pipeline, communities just need to stand up, take advantage of them and go and negotiate with the producers. I don't think anybody would think that makes sense. We know we need capacity. We know we need skills in order to be able to do that, and our government is involved in helping to develop that and provide that. It's very much the same here with business programming. It's not enough to expect that the people don't need help in accessing financing. But we're trying to make it simpler, we're trying to be more supportive, and we're trying to improve our program of service delivery.
In terms of whether or not certain companies merit funding from this government or if too much funding is happening in certain regions for certain companies, a lot of that's very difficult for the public to ascertain right now because not much of this information is public. We're proposing in this new bill a new real element of transparency. That's something that the committee drove home time and time again. We need to know who's being lent money and where they're from. We don't speak to that now and we will in future. I think that will allow the very good debate around these points that we're engaging in to happen. I think that's a point that will be of some considerable discussion. I think that debate needs to take place and can take place with this new organization.
I hear what the Member is saying. I think she's making some very good points. I think there are a number of issues and it's not a simple solution to this, but I think we're moving forward with the pieces that enable us to do those kinds of things. Thank you.