Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This past June, the Departments of Education, Culture and Employment and Industry, Tourism and Investment teamed up to announce a new website for the NWT Nominee Program. The goal of this resource is to help attract, settle, and retain foreign nationals to the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, I see great value in attracting newcomers to the Northwest Territories; increasing our population base is the easiest way for the NWT to increase the federal transfer payment, which is how the government generates most of its spending money. Immigration also increases diversity and reunites families, both of which enrich the lives of all Northerners. Immigration is good news for the NWT. There are two streams within the Nominee Program: the employer-driven stream, which allows employers who want to hire and nominate foreign nationals when there are no Canadians or Canadian permanent residents available to do the job; and the business stream, which encourages immigration by foreign nationals with the resources to start or purchase an NWT business.

While this economic development is good news for the NWT, my concern today is for the ability of the GNWT to protect resident northern business owners and to support and assist potential business owners to immigrate to the NWT. Until June of this year, the GNWT required a $75,000 good-faith deposit from foreign business owners wanting to set up shop in the Northwest Territories. This encouraged foreign entrepreneurs to meet their program commitments, but what happened to the deposit when all did not go according to plan? Did the GNWT simply refund the good-faith deposit, or did it stay in the GNWT and fall into general revenue? What are the criteria for determining when this deposit is repayable, and what would become of the debts to northern businesses incurred by foreign entrepreneurs? Ultimately, why did the GNWT opt to do away with the good-faith deposit, Mr. Speaker?

Immigration is great news. Economic development is great news, but not to the detriment of northern business owners. I look forward to working with the Minister toward a solution which benefits and protects both northern business owners and the Nominee Program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.