Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Certainly I appreciate the Member’s concern over the Prospectors Grubstake Program, a program that was cut loose back in 2009. Today I believe we really need to send a message to folks that are out there prospecting, that the Government of the Northwest Territories is interested in the work that prospectors provide. The program historically was oversubscribed and I would certainly be interested in working with committee. I know the Member chairs the Economic Development and Infrastructure committee. I would certainly be interested in working with the committee to ensure that a program like the Prospectors Grubstake
Program is brought back so that we can keep the momentum going.
We just had an announcement on the additional geoscience money and I agree with the Member that it’s the foundation of finding economically viable mineral deposits is through geoscience work and prospecting that that happens. It’s an important initiative.