Thank you, Madam Premier. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you. I went on a bit of a rant there and started speaking very fast and passionately. I am very passionate about cutting red tape in this government. I would just like a commitment from the Premier to ask her department or whoever is responsible ultimately for this department -- I believe it's ITI and Finance -- to look at the qualifications set out by the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses and see if maybe we can improve our "F" that we get every year. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Madam Premier.

Thank you, Madam Chair. What I will commit to is that I have given direction to the Minister of Finance and the Minister of ITI to check the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses to look at a measurement. That saves me doing it. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Premier. Member for Hay River South.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess, when I look at this, the first point there of working with community governments to identify and advance economic opportunities, there is an area there and how we will do it. There is job creation, right there, and that is job creation probably without -- you don't need trades, and you probably don't really need an education. It's basically for anybody. I think that that's an area that this government has to really grasp and run with right off the bat here. We can't wait.

With respect to the agricultural side, I talked to people this last weekend in Hay River, and they would like to do something, but they can't. They can't. They don't have access to land. They have good ideas. They are trying to do stuff. They are stymied by the bureaucracy, and we have to change that. We have to give direction to the bureaucrats in the regions that they have to be positive. They have to be willing to say yes more than they say no. If we don't do that, we are not going to get anywhere.

When I look at this, I look at agriculture, I look at the fisheries, I look at forestry, all the areas around that would positively impact the South Slave. I am wondering and I would ask the Premier: what is this government going to do to push this forward as quickly as possible? Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Madam Premier.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Some of the Indigenous governments are already on this and they are already doing their work, so it's a matter of bringing them all together and making sure that every single region has an economic plan, because some Indigenous governments have more capacity than other Indigenous governments to be able to do this work. We need to make sure that we are there to support them. How soon it gets done, we have already been talking to the Indigenous governments. Like I said, I phoned all of the ones that are in the intergovernmental council already. I have met four or five with bilaterals, with Ministers. We are already putting this on the table and stating that it's going to happen, that we want to support them with it.

Another thing that we have talked about doing is, we have to be careful. What I did realize since I became elected is that Indigenous governments do not have enough capacity as it is, as well. When I look at it, I gave direction to all of my Ministers to engage stakeholders as much as possible, so now we are going to engage them on our education, on our healthcare, on our housing projects, on our lands project, on our justice services. At some point, do they have the capacity?

We have been talking not only about their regional economic plans, but capacity building, and we do have a week-long forum that we actually address these issues. We are trying to be as proactive as possible to address all of the issues but also support the Indigenous governments so that they can actually do the work that we all need to do together. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Premier. Member for Hay River South.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess it's not just Indigenous governments, but it's others, as well, that are already doing work on the ground, and whether it's support from this government for the bureaucracy, they are just not getting it. They get stymied, and a lot of times it comes down to personalities, and we can't operate like that. We have to operate fairly. This government has to be fair. If there are rules and procedures and there is legislation, let's follow it. If it's wrong, then let's change it, but we have to be fair with everybody. We cannot be, "Well, I don't like you," or whatever, or, "I don't like what you are doing. Here's my pet project." I have seen that happen over the years, and it's got to change at some point, and I am hoping this government is where it's going to change. If we have to change people out, I have got no problem with that, as well. We have done it already, and just keep on going.

I guess, at the end of the day, I don't want to have more meetings. What I would like to see for the Hay River region, for instance, the South Slave, I would like to see the ITI Minister come to Hay River and take her around and talk to each of the businesses there, agricultural, fishery. I know she committed to it, and I know she will do it. Hopefully, she can commit right now before she figures out what I said. Thank you.

Madam Premier.

Thank you. I believe that the Member wanted the Minister of ITI to go into Hay River and meet with businesses and things, so I am going to say that she will do that. The other thing is that I do agree that they need to be fair. I agree that government employees are public servants; our job is to serve the public. However, you are absolutely right, it is about personalities, so we offer all kinds of cultural awareness, about customer service, you know, all kinds of training. The reality is that some people are kinder than other people, and, wisely, they do not give me the direction to be able to fire every single person in the Government of the Northwest Territories or we'd all be starting again. However, I agree. We are public servants. Our job is to serve the public, and so I am asking every government employee who is listening to this: please, your job is to provide proper service to people; do not forget that as you enter your workday. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Premier. Member for Hay River South.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to touch on tourism, as well. This last weekend, I had the opportunity to go down and take a look at a facility in Hay River, and there are a couple of them there. It's interesting because I go down there, and I know housing had gotten rid of these houses, quite a few of them there in an area called "Disneyland," because the houses were unfit for habitation. Well, they are all down there by the lake now as little chalets and cleaned up and beautiful and get rented out for whatever. There is really an opportunity for tourism in Hay River, but, again, they are having trouble with bureaucracy. They need our help. They need some funding, which we have, and what I am finding is that we have now the communities encroaching on ITI funding, and that should not be.

If the communities want funding, go to MACA. ITI should be for businesses and that's it in the NWT. I think we have got to be really careful that we do not start funding community governments when we should be funding businesses and providing them that support, because they are the ones out there. We do not want the communities competing against business, and that is happening. What I would ask, I guess, is for a commitment that the Department of ITI take a look at funding and make sure that there is something there that does not go to community governments; it goes to businesses only. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Madam Premier.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Since the question was directed to the Minister of ITI, then I will ask the Minister of ITI to answer the question. Thank you.

Minister of ITI.

Thank you, Madam Chair. This is the first I've heard of that, so I will definitely commit to looking into that. I just also wanted to let you know that the department has just asked me to come to Hay River on the 23^rd of March, so it looks like somebody was listening to the Member somewhere, and it sounds like a trip to Hay River is being planned sooner rather than later.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Hay River South.

Thank you, Madam Chair. A comment, I guess, to the Minister of ITI is that I think it's important that, when she does come to Hay River, she meets, you know, one-on-one with the businesses. We don't need bureaucracy there, except for me. That's what I would ask, so that there is a frank discussion and you hear what they are saying. Because you have to hear both sides, at the end of the day, and that's all I ask. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Madam Premier.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Minister has committed, absolutely, that she would listen to the businesspeople, and she is fine without the MLA there. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Premier. I do have two more Members, but I am going to call a short recess right now, as supper is here; then we will resume.

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I will call the committee back to order. We were on page 19, "Increase economic diversification by supporting growth in non-extractive sectors and setting regional diversification targets." To the Member for Yellowknife Centre.