We distribute it to all departments, which it does not include NTPC because there is no businesses that provide that service and it is not our intention to look at other forms of generating power, but the boards and agencies are covered under either health or education. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

The reason why I am asking is just for clarification and the Minister of Health is well aware of this issue and hoping to get a briefing tomorrow with her department that the company that is a Sahtu beneficiary has been operating with our health board in the Sahtu. Their contract, according to them, was taken from them and Stanton is taking over the contract and going to be tendering out that work in the Sahtu. It seems like Stanton is not respecting the memorandum of understanding in this process here, so I am hoping again to get an update from the Minister tomorrow on this issue here. It seems like they are not respecting the memorandum of understanding and this business is a legitimate, qualified Sahtu Secretariat beneficiary business, so that is where I am going with this question.

We do distribute the memorandum of understanding to all departments, and all departments, because it is government policy, follow the policy of the government. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

It is one thing to distribute it to all the departments and it’s another thing if they are following the spirit and intent of the memorandum of understanding that was negotiated between the government and the Sahtu Secretariat. So I will wait and see if the government is going to follow the spirit and intent of the memorandum of understanding that was signed in the last government.

I think that would be the appropriate course of action. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Committee, we are on page 12-29, Industry, Tourism and Investment, activity summary, economic diversification and business support, operations expenditure summary, $22.214 million.

Page 12-30, Industry, Tourism and Investment, activity summary, economic diversification and business support, grants and contributions, grants, total grants, $625,000. Agreed?

Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am so happy we got onto this page here, Mr. Chairman, because it talks about Community Harvesters Assistance Program and I understand the community of Deline was asking for some assistance as the impacts of the caribou and there was a request in to help with the community such as some support went to the Tlicho community on caribou hunts. I want to ask the Minister if the community of Deline have initiated any kind of contact with his office as we already had some discussions with the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources on this issue here to help with the community hunts under this budget here. It is a good budget and we are hoping that they would be supported by this department here. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I haven’t been approached by anybody from Deline to assist with funding for a caribou hunt and the increase in CHAP funding was done with the understanding that what we wanted to do was help reduce the high cost of food, ensure that the benefit was equitable and transparent to all communities in the Northwest Territories, reduce economic disparities between large and small communities and it should be consistent with land claim obligations where these exist. The CHAP program was developed to assist harvesters and communities throughout the Northwest Territories and so it is up to the communities to decide how they want to spend the money. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

What I will do is I will fire the e-mail off to the Minister’s office. The request, I believe it was addressed to the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, and that is privy to this type of funding. Just for the community so I will let the Minister know that this is the wish of the community of Deline and let the appropriate officials deal with it then. Thank you.

I will look forward to the e-mail.

Thank you, Minister. Ms. Bisaro. Committee, we are on page 12-30, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just a quick follow-up on the Community Harvesters Assistance Program. Although if you read the description, it is contributed to local wildlife committees which have been recognized about harvesting resources. Is this program specifically and only targeted to harvesting animals? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Minister McLeod.

Generally the community harvesters or local wildlife committees dealing with hunters and trappers and, in some cases, fishermen. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Is the program open to agriculture products?

Not unless there’s a hunter and a trapper practicing agriculture as well. No, it’s not open to agriculture. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Although I’m confident, I sense a little bit of humour in the Minister’s answer. The way he said it, does he mean that it’s only prescribed to hunters and trappers or is it prescribed only for hunting and trapping? I’m just trying to get a clarification. If a hunter or trapper decides to, say, farm honey, as a matter of fact, would they qualify for the program? I just give that as an example.

I’m not trying to be humorous. The money goes to local wildlife committees and it’s there to help hunters and trappers and local wildlife committees decide what form the assistance would take. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

That’s good.