Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Minister knows that a little while ago I raised in this House the issue with regard to the NWT SPCA making applications or at least inquiries to apply for the Non-Government Organization Stabilization Fund. I am not going to make any kind of monetary ask here today on behalf of that organization, but I do want to get some clarification where I can. I think, first of all, we can recognize that the SPCA does provide a number of services, and they provide it to over 30 communities in the territory. This is an organization that raises somewhere in the neighbourhood of about $600,000 a year in revenue, but they also generate about $800,000 a year in expenses. The difference is covered by donations and by in-kind services and volunteer fundraising. They have to do that year over year. If they don't, then they are at risk of closing their doors and not being able to provide these critical services.
Mr. Chair, interestingly enough, the Government of the Northwest Territories has what is called a Dog Act, in fact. It is a 15-page act that describes within it things relevant to duty of care, dogs in distress, abandoned dogs, protection of dogs, custody of dogs, veterinarian services, and interim custody. These are a lot of the services that sometimes end up falling on the lap of the SPCA when owners disregard their dogs or, for whatever variety of reasons, there is the need for attention for these annals. I guess the point that I am trying to raise is: how can an organization that I think most people would agree is really providing such good and critical services to our territory not be eligible to apply for stabilization funding? The answer is that one of the criteria says that, if in Yellowknife, you must be receiving $50,000 or more in funding from GNWT annually. I find it difficult to understand: how shall the SPCA get other funding from our departments, doing work for other departments, I suppose, to make themselves eligible to get stabilization funding? Can the Minister at least start, maybe, on providing us some insight on how an organization like the NWT SPCA can work its way toward being eligible for stabilization funding? Thank you, Mr. Chair.