Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have talked to the development corporation in McPherson, I have talked to the co-op board, I have raised this in workshops we’ve held locally because they are talking about craft shops. They are talking about trying to help the crafts industry in McPherson. I asked them why do you want a craft shop. You have a perfect facility in Fort McPherson which is known, it’s marketable. It’s the Tent and Canvas Shop. It says Fort McPherson on the logo. We have to work with those other sectors in the communities and work with the Fort McPherson Canvas Shop to allow them that opportunity to work in conjunction and formulate that partnership, but also to work with local entrepreneurs to look at marketing their products also. I think Fort McPherson, we still have

the traditional sewing style, which is not being used as much today as it used to by others where you use the different styles of sewing. Because of that, we are able to market their products throughout Alaska, Yukon and southern trade shows. It’s a perfect opportunity to work in conjunction with the craft sector in Fort McPherson, the canvas shop business and the local business.

I think under the manufacture directive we have, as government, we have a warehouse sitting right next door to the canvas shop which is owned by the development corporation and could be used to manufacture products either for the Housing Corporation or the oil and gas industry, so we are able to not only expand the economic opportunities in those communities and generate jobs in the different sectors that are there, use existing government facilities to do it and not just focus on one product. I think that’s something that I feel quite strongly about.

I have been talking to leadership, the development corporations, the Gwich’in Tribal Council and I think this is a perfect opportunity for government and the aboriginal organizations to formulate this partnership. In order to do that, we have to allow for some way of having the government and the development corporation, it could be the local Rat River Development Corporation, which is the development corporation based out of Fort McPherson, or the co-op, which is owned by a majority of the shareholders who are residents of Fort McPherson. I think working with those groups and identifying these partnerships...but it has to be meaningful partnerships where you actually have a board of directors, which is a joint board of directors. It’s not people you just pick off the street.

You have to allow them to have a say in the operation and if they are going to invest, they want to be able to have a say in regards to how you develop products and consider other products that can be developed out of that facility. It’s formulating a business plan and working forward by way of job creation and look at the manufacturing directive and see how we can provide more job opportunities, more skilled people in the different sectors and work to entice that business venture so it can generate profit and get more people to work. Thank you.