Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In regards to the Department of ITI and I think that realizing that we seem to put a lot of energy and emphasis on the energy sector there. We have to start focusing on people’s needs, especially in our smaller communities. We have to start really investing a lot of resources into small business developing our local economies, especially where we have high pockets of unemployment, and more importantly, the potential of tourism and also in regards to the potential of the big game hunting in the Mackenzie Delta. One of the things they have been doing is looking at the potential of commercial harvesting the muskox in which there are is an abundance of muskox especially in the Richardson Mountains in which there is the potential of that activity taking place. I think that with the downturn in the commercial harvesting of caribou in regards to big game hunting, this could be an alternative. I think that we have to look at those types of opportunities.
We look at the potential that can generate in regards to tourism, eco-tourism, the big game hunting and also in regards to the road traffic travelling up and down the Dempster Highway from the Yukon in which we are seeing higher volumes of people coming through. Again, without programs and services for the travelling public, they are just going to drive by the community and they won’t stop because the people don’t provide a coffee shop or a gas station that is open 24-7 and they know that the services aren’t there, that they are not going to stop. I think we have to start investing more money especially in this department in the area of looking at the renewable resource sector and also the tourism potential that we have especially in regards to road traffic and also with the working again with small communities.
In the past we did have a fur shop in Aklavik and a canvas shop in Fort McPherson. Again, I think we do have that business model, but since they got rid of the general manager of the canvas shop in Fort McPherson, it seems like the business basically dried up. I would like to know what are we doing to enhance that business. I am looking at the possibility of expanding it to maybe include partial ownership, regardless if it is between the bands of the Mackenzie Delta or the communities of, say, Aklavik and Fort McPherson, even Tsiigehtchic and maybe expanding the program out to the other communities and using the canvas product as the means of marketing. I think we should start looking
at thinking of expanding not only the product but expanding the potential that we have to market through the logo of Fort McPherson Canvas Shop, which is world-renowned, by using other products in regards to traditional products regardless if it is slippers or something that is sewn locally or even expanding the canvas products to other types of items. I think what got the canvas shop going in Fort McPherson was selling coveralls to Dome Petroleum. That opportunity is there in regards to the pipeline or in regards to any non-renewable resource. I think that without having a manager that really is on top of things, you’re basically missing out on those opportunities and also formulating partnerships with either the local community development corporations and whatnot. We have to be able to show that we are trying to stimulate the local economies and also get people to work, more importantly, it is trying to reinvest a lot of these resources that we spend tons of dollars in excess of millions dealing with the non-renewable sector but we spend very little when it comes to the renewable sector such as trapping, fishing, agriculture. I think that is where we have to start making these new investments and deal with that segment of our economy. I think that as a department we have to seriously look at those type of investments.
In regards to the issues that were in your report, I think that we have to also realize at some point we have to make a political decision in regards to delivery of programs and services and do they really fit within this department. Especially when we are dealing with hunting and trapping issues and using the SEED program, for instance. Talking to a lot of harvesters, they find it very hard to access the SEED program, but again the SEED program in my riding is mostly used to basically buy items or supplies for people that sew, which is basically capped at that $500,000, which that is all that is. The only benefit from that program in my communities, in talking to the economic development officers, that seems to be that type of applications they are processing and yet you look at how the dollars have been allocated and we have to be able to show that we are really generating the local economies but also straying out into other sectors of our local economy, regardless if it is in the retail industry, in tourism or even, like I say, a small business that wants to get started in regards to the area developing a business opportunity either in the area of providing cooks and people to clean the camps and whatnot down the road and I think that is an area we can look at.
The same thing in regards to all those opportunities that are there in regards to small business, because the small business is what is going to drive our local economies. Being with the boom/bust cycle we do live in, in regards to oil and gas, those cycles that again we are not sitting on the sidelines waiting for the pipeline which is a couple of years down the
road before a decision is really going to be made. Again, it is one of those things, are we just going to wait or are we going to start looking at our economies and develop business plans for the different communities. Let the communities develop those plans and business cases and promote the communities. Promote what they have to offer, more importantly, promote their local economies and basically take advantage of the travelling public, but more importantly, the tourism traffic that flows through, especially my communities in my riding, and also the potential we have for tourism in regards to big game hunting, eco-tourism.
Again, I think it is important that we do have to sometimes, looking at the big picture, sometimes we lose sight of the little things that really mean something to people. Little things for most people in our communities are trying to find a job when you have 45 percent unemployment, knowing that the average income is $18,000 a year, and you basically are missing out on that opportunity in which we are spending a lot of money just travelling to oil and gas conferences and dealing with those industries. At the end of the day, those dollars probably could be better spent put into local economies to generate jobs for people and getting them off income support and being able to develop that economy.
Another area, in regards to the Mackenzie Pipeline, in regards to the regulatory systems and the information that has been compiled, I think there has been a lot of questions asked in regards to that report of how communities are going to be impacted by those developments, and I think, if anything, this department could do a lot to avoid and mitigate a lot of those impacts by ensuring people have the fundamental elements in their communities so that they can also provide and take advantage of the opportunity when it comes. So it is a question about being ready, but more importantly, having the skilled workforce and having the people in place when it does happen and they are ready to go.
The other issue, I know that in regards to your energy stuff, I have to applaud you in regards to the energy initiatives that we have put forward, especially lowering the power rates in our communities. I know that everybody might not be satisfied on this side of the House, but for me it’s probably the next best thing to winning a lottery for a lot of our community members. To see our power rates go down, I think, if anything, you should be applauded for that and also from the government. Sometimes you don’t hear a lot of good news stories, but this definitely is one of them that we in our communities definitely are seeing the results that we were hoping for. Again, I think it is another area where we can hopefully entice businesses to come back into our communities and be put on a clear playing field in regards to a competitive
playing field, because now their power rates are also going down and they are a little more competitive than what they were paying before, where in some cases businesses in my community were paying something in excess of $30,000 a month in the winter months, such as the Co-ops and Northern Stores. Again it does have a direct impact on those communities.
On closing, I would just like to get the Minister to tell me how are we going to monitor the program. More importantly, ensure that the businesses that are receiving the commercial subsidy are basically bringing down the cost of goods and services in our communities, because I think from the general public, you go into the Co-op and the store, the prices are still kind of high, we are $29 for a jar of Cheez Whiz, I think we are just about there in some of our communities.
Again, I will leave it at that and hear what the Minister has to say. Thank you.