Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk about business development in Tu Nedhe. Mr. Speaker, today I wish to talk about the need for this government to increase support to communities in the area of business development. Mr. Speaker, in Tu Nedhe we have very few small businesses and very few government and private industry jobs. The people of Tu Nedhe can work in the traditional economy by hunting and trapping; however, that is never enough to sustain a family for the full year. Mr. Speaker, the current alternatives are few and many

families need income support to make ends meet. However, Mr. Speaker, this government may be able to help these small businesses by stepping up their support for development of small businesses.

Mr. Speaker, currently the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment along with the Business Development and Investment Corporation are mandated to develop businesses across the North. For various reasons, Mr. Speaker, the system does not seem to work. Mr. Speaker, any time you have an organization that is set up to rely on another organization to complete their work for them but have no authority over that organization, it doesn’t work well. Currently, the Business Development and Investment Corporation is responsible for small business development or business development, however, they have to ask the ITI regional staff to complete community work for them. At this time the structure does not work. Mr. Speaker, these types of organizational structures usually do not work. The ITI staff have their own work and staff tend to do the work that is directed by their supervisors and not a corporation that has no direct authority over them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.