Thank you, Minister Schumann. Mr. O'Reilly.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I guess, my last point, I don't really expect a response necessarily from the Minister. I have already said this before. We have raised more revenues now from tobacco taxes than the oil and gas and mining royalties. We get $16 million in tobacco taxes. For mining, oil, and gas royalties, we get $13.4, maybe $13.5. The liquor commission revenues are $24.7 million, about twice what we get from mining, oil, and gas royalties. This, to me, demonstrates the need for us to examine how we collect these revenues and whether they are appropriate or not and whether we are getting a fair share of the revenues from oil and gas and mining. I don't understand why this is being delayed to the next Assembly. Then again, I don't expect a response from the Minister. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Minister Schumann.

I will take it as a comment. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister Schumann. Mr. O'Reilly, no more? Thank you. Mr. Simpson.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. On page 208, there is a line item, "Egg marketing levy." There is no money attached to it this year, but in previous years, I see in 2017-2018, there was $35,000. For those people who don't know, the commercial egg market is supply-managed. That means commercial production is regulated federally. Producers are allocated a quota through a designated body, the egg producers of Canada. In the NWT, the GNWT is actually the holder of that quota. They don't produce eggs, though. They allow other producers to produce eggs.

This line item here is the egg marketing levy. As the name suggests, that money comes from the egg producers in the territory through the Egg Farmers of Canada back to the holder of the quota, the GNWT, and is supposed to be used for marketing made-in-the-NWT eggs. In the past years, it has just gone into the GNWT's general coffers. I am not quite sure why this is because we do produce eggs in the territory. There is a farm. There is an egg supplier. There is a board. Everything is in place here, yet this money, even though it is not much money, goes into the general coffers and does not go to the egg producers board so they can actually advertise made-in-the-NWT eggs. That is why you never see a made-in-the-NWT eggs advertisement anywhere, you don't see stand-up posters in the grocery store, you don't see ads in magazines unless people have paid for them out of their own pocket.

This year, there is no money attached to this. I am of the understanding that that is because the Agricultural Products Marketing Council has been reinstated by the GNWT. In regulations, this marketing money, for some reason, goes to this Agricultural Products Marketing Council, which is a body that I believe was intended to settle disputes in the industry. I am not sure if there are disputes, but this is all something that can be clarified here once I am done my question or the setup. This money that is coming from the egg marketing levy is going to fund this board instead of going to promote NWT eggs. I guess my question is: why is that the case? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Simpson. Minister Schumann.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Member stated it was for marketing. This money is not for that. With the re-establishment of the Agricultural Products Marketing Council, which oversees the system in NWT and ensures that it’s arm's length and objective of the council, this money is for the operations of that council. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister Schumann. Mr. Simpson.

Thank you. It is a marketing council. The only money they are getting, I believe, is from the egg marketing levy. Other agriculture producers, are they contributing to this, as well? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Simpson. Minister Schumann.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We don't have any other producers, so it is all coming from the egg producers board. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister Schumann. Mr. Simpson.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. There is an egg producers board who is producing a product. What the GNWT did was create another council that would do the marketing for the egg producers board. Why doesn't the egg producers board just do the marketing like they have been asking to? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Simpson. Mr. Jensen.

Thank you, Mr. Jensen. Mr. Simpson.

Thank you. Once again, if this board isn't for marketing, why is the money for egg marketing going to support this board that's for oversight, that it's the GNWT board and I believe there's ITI employees on there, as well. It's not even at arm's length. Why is the money from the egg producers paying for the GNWT's board, I guess, is my question? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Jensen. Deputy Minister Jensen.

Thank you, Deputy Minister Jensen. Mr. Simpson.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, the NWT Egg Producers Board is responsible for promoting made-in-the-NWT eggs, as I stated. There happens to be one producer, but they still can only promote made-in-the-NWT eggs. It's still confusing why the money for the egg marketing levy is not going to the egg producers to market their eggs. It's going to a GNWT oversight board. It's from regulations from 1999, 20 years ago almost, so maybe it's time to look at those regulations and look at how the industry has changed and maybe those need to be changed, as well. What's the Minister's take on that? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Simpson. Minister Schumann.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. One of the things we have to take into consideration here, this is early days for this arm's-length board. They're just convening here. You know, just lately, we've just put these people in place. I'm sure as these things come up, they will come back to us and we will have a look at it and what role we can take and play to try to maybe correct some of these things going forward. Thank you, Mr. Chair.