Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is an evolving level of service in the Northwest Territories. As we raise the standards, and the job qualifications and requirements, and increases to deal with difficult, complex issues, yes, it does sometimes present some challenges in terms of staffing.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister said complex issues. A lot of the communities, we know there is a problem and it's usually something that could take a little counselling or a little referral for some treatment. I have a hard time thinking that we get people from out of the territory because the report states that out-of-territory recruitment may be necessary to fill some of these university degree positions. I would like to ask the Minister if the community social workers and the wellness workers have the authority to refer clients for treatment, or is that something that only a person with a degree in mental health and addictions can do? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the way the process is set up, individuals can come to a community wellness worker and they can do a number of meetings. If the social worker is involved, they are doing case management and a decision is made based on some of the counselling that's gone on with the individual, then the referral process will take place. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The ultimate referral in the communities would be made by who? That was my question. If there is no mental health worker to make that referral, where does it go from there? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, no one in any community will be denied a referral because there may not be a particular position filled or not. There are approval authorities all the way up and down the organization at the regional level, the community level as well, so that we can respond to all requests and needs for treatment. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Great Slave Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions this morning are for Mr. Bell, Minister for Industry, Tourism and Investment, on the Tourism 2010 plan that was announced yesterday. On a careful read, Mr. Speaker, this is a broad scope approach done in close concert with the tourism industry, and credit to both the department and the industry for linking arms on this. Mr. Speaker, the plan identifies five key areas of focus: marketing, productive development, human resource, research and planning and infrastructure. In this, just about every one of them says, Mr. Speaker, that we are going to develop a plan for them. So while this is very positive and very strong, it is, at this point, short on specifics on what is actually going to be done other than saying we are going to develop a plan.

Mr. Speaker, if I am a tourism operator, and I hope this isn't a hypothetical question here, or I would like to become a tourism operator, Mr. Speaker, where do I go to see if my idea or my need can get plugged into this strategy, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bell.

Mr. Speaker, when we sat down about a year ago, in large part in response to committee members who were suggesting we better needed to understand our roles and responsibilities, vis a vis the NWTT, we conducted a review and agreed, at the end of that, it made the most sense for the government's involvement and role to be around product development. So if you are a would-be entrepreneur, you come forward to our department, work with our regional people, have a business idea, we can steer you in the right direction, point you toward the BDIC, other lending agencies, help you develop a business plan. If your question is in relation to marketing, we use the NWTT as our destination

marketing organization of record. So we put an additional $400,000 towards their marketing efforts here. We don't purport to tell them how to spend that money; how to target the various different sectors. We rely on the experts in the industry, these folks, to make some decisions in that regard. We are at the table and have discussions, but we have a new governance mechanism, a new marketing committee under the NWTT. They make decisions based on which sectors need the help and which sectors have the most potential for growth. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Mr. Speaker, is it this advisory committee that looks at and screens ideas and proposals? I am just trying to get a better sense of where in the food chain here does an entrepreneur, or a community, or an association, or an organization, take their idea to get it off the ground. Where do I go first, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Bell.

Mr. Speaker, just to be clear, they would approach our regional staff. We didn't think it made sense, when we talked about responsibilities, to have a would-be entrepreneur come forward to a group of industry business people themselves with a proposal that could be in competition with several of those operators. So we weren't going to be putting those people in a position to have to be discussing their specific business plans, business ventures, asking for money from the folks who really are our destination marketing organization, responsible for marketing NWT overall in a broader way, not specifically targeted at any one business. So if you are a businessman, an entrepreneur, you have a business idea, you approach our ITI officials in the region and we work with you on the business plan. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Final supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Mr. Speaker, is the department going to be undertaking any kind of initiative to take this plan out into the regions, into the chambers of commerce, the other organizations, and sell this idea, help people get familiar with it and help them through the process? Is going out and actively selling it part of the plan as well, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Bell.

Yes, Mr. Speaker. We are going to make sure we are working very closely in the various different regions. Our regional staff will lead much of those discussions. We have to engage the various different stakeholders, not the least of whom will be the other potential funding partners and funding agencies. So there will be a lot of discussion with the Canadian Tourism Commission, with DIAND, but also we recognize that we need buy-in in the regions. I can certainly agree with the Member who proposed earlier that it is difficult at times to get people interested and engaged in the tourism industry. In my travels to Inuvik recently and discussing with the departmental staff, because of the state of the economy, because people are so bullish on oil and gas activity, it is difficult to get people thinking and talking about tourism, but that's our role. We have a job as government to engage them in that discussion and we will work to do that. Thank you.