I’m not aware of any grants or contributions being made available for anybody to buy any outfitter licences. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chair, I’m not asking this question for the sake of asking a question. I’m asking because I’m serious. There is an offer on the table for the Gwich’in to buy out the Arctic Red River Outfitters. That arrangement is because of the land claim where they have the first right of refusal. This government is responsible for assisting businesses in regard to getting into tourism, getting into commercially viable businesses. I’d like to ask again, what does an aboriginal organization have to do to get this government to assist them by way of taking over a company such as an outfitter by way of purchasing that business for taking over that licence?

We’re not aware of any ongoing efforts by anybody to purchase an outfitting business. I think if we’re requested to provide assistance, we would be there to assist. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I don’t know how I’m going to rephrase this, but I’m asking what programs and services are there to assist an organization to purchase an outfitter’s licence.

I’m not sure what kind of assistance the Member wants. If he wants a loan, we have the BDIC loan program available where you can borrow up to $2 million. If he wants assistance to prepare a business plan, we have contribution funding programs under the SEED program where we can assist up to a fixed amount, which I think is $25,000, to prepare a business plan program. I guess he’d have to be a little more

specific as to what kind of assistance he would be seeking. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

No further comments on this page? We’re at page 12-29, activity summary, economic diversification and business support, operations expenditure summary, $17.824 million.

Page 12-30, activity summary, economic diversification and business support, grants and contributions, grants, $847,000.

Page 12-31, economic activity summary, economic diversification and business support, grants and contributions, contributions. Mr. Krutko.

I noticed there’s a decrease in regard to the amount of funds we’re getting out of the Western Harvester Support Program. I believe last year the revised estimates were $687,000 and this year it’s $132,000. Is there a reason for the drop in regard to the estimates?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Minister McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We’re coming to the end of dispersing $15 million of the Western Harvester Support Program funding that was committed to I think in the 11th Assembly,

in 1995. It’s application-based and it has to be matched funding program. I think every aboriginal government and every community in the Northwest Territories has accessed this program. I think we’re down to the last few communities to access it. It’s application-based, so I expect this will be the last year. There may be one or two other applications in future years. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Are there any plans to replace this program or reinstate a different program that can assist harvesters without using a grant program, but more in regards to a supplementary support program for harvesters to receive different types of equipment? I know under the old EDA programs that we used to have, we used to have a lot of support programs for harvesters like grant programs when we used to have tons of money under economic development. Are there any plans to either change this program or reinstate a different program than what we have here today?

We have plans to continue with the local wildlife committees funding and the Community Harvesters Assistance Program funding. Maybe a little bit of history about how the Western Harvester Support Program came about, I

think the Member is aware that it came out as a result of division when the outgoing government agreed to provide $15 million for harvesters support to Nunavut and it was felt that the western harvesters should be afforded the same opportunities. So the government or Assembly agreed to institute the Western Harvester Support Program, and at this stage we are not looking at seeing the program resurrected other than to pay out all of the money that had been allocated to all of the communities in the Western Arctic. Thank you.

We are on page 12-31, activity summary, economic diversification and business support, grants and contributions, contributions.

Page 12-32, activity summary, economic diversification and business support, grants and contributions. Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Chair, with regard to the $100,000 for the broadband infrastructure in the Northwest Territories, there was a call for proposals looking at possibly having cell phone service in all communities in the Northwest Territories like what they have in the Yukon. Where is that proposal in light of the $100,000? We were looking for requests for such a proposal and I am wondering if that has been considered by this government to see if we can move on that. Most people do have cell phones these days, but a lot of services aren’t activated in a lot of our communities. Is that something that has been considered with regard to not only this program but the potential that we have of expanding cell phone service in the Northwest Territories like they’ve done in the Yukon?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Minister McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The $100,000 identified here is to support Falcon Communications. This is O and M for one year and this is to assist with a broadband network. The federal government is providing something in the neighbourhood of $14.8 million.

As far as cell phone coverage, that’s not my area of responsibility. I think that is something that is under Public Works and Services, so I am not familiar with it other than I know the government received an unsolicited proposal. That’s the extent of my knowledge. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Again, Mr. Chair, I think we should have a strategy not only looking at broadband, but also looking at technology advances in our communities. With the broadband infrastructure that is there with the Falcon Communications, we do have it in our communities but it is still pretty slow.

We do have to try to either expand the broadband that’s in the communities, but, more importantly, expand our systems throughout the Northwest Territories. I would just like to ask the Minister, working with the Minister of Public Works, if we could maybe expand that program to include cell phone service and see if there are dollars there to put into that.

I guess we see this broadband initiative improving the speed of broadband services. As far as wireless services, I think there is an issue of how to make sure everybody had a fair opportunity to expand the service. I will discuss it with my colleagues. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Bromley.