Is this the one where I should just kind of toss it out the window? No, I shouldn't make jokes. Obviously, the new one is we're going to pivot, right? We have to figure out how we're going to change our strategy. Clearly, we're going to have to make some changes around our marketing. Will we be focusing the marketing dollars into the Asian market? We are going to have concerns with, as other international borders start opening up and ours doesn't, we are going to lose our aurora tourism, likely, to other jurisdictions. The department is very live to this. We're having those conversations. We are discussing as much as we can with the Chief Public Health Officer on the ways that we can have the tourism sector start reopening again, and not just to people from Yellowknife or regional places moving around, or other centres, but actually getting to where we could bring people in from the South again, such as, perhaps, outfitters bringing people in where they go straight into the bush, they don't interact with Northwest Territories residents, they have their own emergency response and Medevac plan in plan that doesn't impact ours.

So those are sorts of scenarios that we're looking to explore, hopefully, and in conjunction with the Chief Public Health Officer, as to whether or not we can come up with scenarios where we can have people operate safely. That actually also has a lot of implications in the exploration sector, because exploration camps are very similar to tourism camps. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Member. Anything short?

Maybe it's a very short question. Has the Minister considered in any of their tourism discussions making Yellowknife an international airport? Thank you.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I think that would be awesome, because I'd love to fly over to Germany, or whatever, Iceland and places I'm hearing about from other jurisdictions. I can't speak to a specific discussion I've personally had about an international airport; however, I think it sounds great. It's definitely something we can talk about going forward. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake. I will give you your last question, then I'll cut you off.

Thanks, Madam Chair. Well, I'll try this again. Just on Yellowknife being an international airport, I raised this in the last Assembly. Whitehorse, they get direct charters from Europe, and I don't know why we're not pursuing federal funding to try to do the same here.

I asked the Minister whether there is any funding in this budget beyond $160,000 that is given to the City of Yellowknife to support the tourist visitors' centre, such as it is in the basement of city hall? Is there any other funding in the budget to support planning and development of a visitors' centre for Yellowknife? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. No, currently, in this budget, there is nothing for a new building, but the file is moving forward and we are having those discussions with the City of Yellowknife, and we are going to look to use internal funds to do that planning. We are also going to look to tap into CanNor and see if we can get some funding through them when we're at that stage. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Members. I think we've got everybody's questions, now, so, if there are no further questions, please turn to page 211. Industry, Tourism and Investment, tourism and parks, operations expenditure summary, 2020-2021 Main Estimates, $16,349,000. Does committee agree?

Committee, we have information items left. Knowing that we have BDIC on the information items and we probably have a lot of Members who are going to ask questions, can I just get a gauge of how many of you are going to ask questions on the information items? Nobody? One? Do we want to have the one finish? Sergeant-at-Arms, can we change the witness? Please introduce your witness, Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. We have our director of finance and administration, Nina Salvador. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. So the information items are on page 214, Northwest Territories Business Development and Investment Corporation; we have page 216, Northwest Territories Environmental Studies Research Fund; page 217, lease commitments; and page 218, work performed on behalf of others. I'm going to give the floor for questions to the Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. I had asked questions about why BDIC, at least in their 2018-2019 annual report, has an accumulated surplus of $33.445 million, and whether that was available for use, and so on. The Minister told me that I had to wait until the DAF -- I'm sorry, I may not get the acronym right -- was here, so I'd like to ask that question. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm a firm believer in bringing in the experts to explain complicated situations, so I will pass it over to Ms. Salvador to answer. Could you actually repeat the question? You wanted to have the breakdown on why that's not considered to be a full surplus? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Ms. Salvador.

Thank you, Ms. Salvador. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. That is quite helpful in understanding the consolidated statement page that I'm looking at. I didn't have a chance to look at all of the notes. I guess I would like to ask the Minister, then, what is the plan to reorganize, rejig, reinvigorate BDIC moving forward so that we can find ways to ensure that the money that it does have is going to create jobs in small communities and help with economic recovery? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am a different Minister, as stated before. I have given the direction to BDIC that I would like to see the developmental side of things go forward. I believe, before, it was more of a banking type institution. We will, as mentioned, have a new CEO. That person will be selected by the selection committee, and then names will be put forward to me. I will have the final recommendation on that.

My goal is to have a person in place who is creative, who is flexible, who is approachable, who is neutral, and who is going to do what is best for the people of this territory, somebody who can think outside of the box when it comes to being creative and having new solutions. We have been doing things the same old way for a really long time, it looks like, in the Northwest Territories, and it's not working for us. Now COVID gives us an opportunity for us to be more flexible, to be more creative, and to come up with new solutions. I commit that, whoever that person is, that that is the criteria I am looking for when I am helping to select that person. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.