Debates of Feb. 24th, 2026

Thank you. Moving on to economic diversification and business support, beginning on page 235 with the information items on page 237. Are there any questions?

Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, also in the business plan I noted that there's mention of -- and I will read it so you don't have to reference the page number -- improving accessibility of NWT arts program streams, and the business plan noted that the measure was for fewer points of entry within the GNWT. Happily, yes, we've moved everything over from ECE into ITI and now one department rules them all.

So I am curious about the ways that arts overlap with the other functions of the department, as the Minister knows. So I guess my first question would be are there ways that the Minister can identify that connects funding of the arts with tourism? Are there ways that we can encourage local artists to work with local tour operators, for example? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I will go to the Minister.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, so our economic diversification and business support branch of ITI, it works very closely together and are always looking for ways to kind of cross-pollinate. We see this even with both kind of the mineral side and the art side. And so, for example, when we travel to our mining shows, we're constantly making sure that we are also including our artists in those opportunities as well. We also have a new tiered funding model that enables more data-driven decision-making through a centralized intake within ITI, and there are performance measures that are included in that. We also have maintained, for example, the arts operating funding as well within the organization so that we're making sure that we're kind of evolving the sector while still holding on to the parts of the program that were evolved under ECE because they had just worked very closely with artists and with the sector. And maybe I will stop there and see what other questions the Member has. Thank you.

Thank you. I will go back to the Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And thanks to the Minister for that. I guess I will be a little more explicit. I know that there's a new tourism strategy coming, and I am curious if the cross-pollination -- I think was the words used -- between arts and tourism is being considered as maybe part of that forward-looking piece. Obviously, not getting into detail, but just in terms of a wider breadth of those, the Venn diagram of arts and tourism. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I will go to the Minister.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, those are two things that go hand-in-hand very closely together. Right across Canada, we're seeing a huge increase in cultural tourism, which also relates in that Venn diagram that the Member was referring to. And so, you know, whether it's through NWT Tourism, through the Territorial Agricultural Association, through, you know, film and arts, they all work hand-in-hand and all complement one another. In addition to that, Mr. Chair, you know, we've got programming that really can be applied right across funding mechanisms, for example SEED, so that people aren't pigeonholing themselves into one area. They're really just having to develop an idea but that idea doesn't have to just stick to one part of the Venn diagram. So certainly, the more creativity, the better. And we're certainly happy to work with residents, whether that's through our business development officers or regional offices as well. Thank you.

Thank you. I will go to the Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And changing topics slightly, still in the economic portion. I know that in the business plan it's previously stated that there is preliminary work on the economic vision to 2035. Has that work been continued, put forward as something that the department wants to press forward on, or if there's any additional information around the economic vision that the Minister could share at this point? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I will go to the Minister.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, our economic vision at this point is in draft form. We are currently putting dedicated resources to helping us finalize this work in short order. And the draft that we do have is an overarching GNWT 50-year vision. It aligns with our governance vision of the NWT -- or the GNWT, which also aligns with our 20th Legislative Assembly mandate, so making sure at the end of the day that we're tying all these pieces together. And from there, we really need to make sure that -- you know, to the previous conversation I was having with the Member from Frame Lake, we need to make sure that this work can be grounded in immediate action to capture the current opportunity that sits in front of Northerners. So there's some other pieces that need to be put together, given where we are and given the transition that we're in in the territory right now, certainly different than what we expected when we sat down and created a mandate together two years ago. But, you know, we're Northerners, we adapt, and we capture the opportunity that we have. Thank you.

Okay, thank you. I will go to the Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Well, I can appreciate that that's in draft, and the Minister and her department want to get it right. What is the timeline associated with the vision? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I will go to the Minister.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, recognizing that we're certainly in a shifting geopolitical world that's really -- you know, it's reshaping everything from our diamond mines to our critical mineral opportunities and also the opportunities with Arctic security and sovereignty investments that sit in front of us, we need to make sure that we're working with the federal government in this as well. And so when the Member asks for, you know, specifics on timing, I want to ensure that, first and foremost, we're putting together something that is a quality document rather than working towards a specific timeline but recognizing that we're -- the clock is ticking because these opportunities are sitting in front of us. So I would say very soon, Mr. Speaker, but I don't want to put an exact month on it because I, you know, would like to over -- under promise and over deliver. I almost got that wrong but that's not where we're going with this. Thank you.

Okay, thank you. I will go to the Member from Great Slave.

Sorry, I am also at the loopy hour of the day, Mr. Chair. Thank you.

I am just noticing here as I look through the grants, contributions, and transfers under economic diversification and business support that, really, you know, year over year there is not a significant amount of growth. And so could the Minister speak broadly to some of the grants and contributions and whether any of them are wildly oversubscribed? And I guess that's subjective but she can make an assessment, I suppose. I am just wondering if these monies are staying static year over year, if that means that they are successful, if they are -- if there's more money needed, if they're not meeting these targets year over year. I am just curious if the Minister can speak to that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I will go to the Minister.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, absolutely our program funding is fairly consistent year over year, and for the most part all of our programs are oversubscribed which means that we've got evaluation committees that have tough decisions to make. But whether it is tourism programming, SEED funding, community transfer initiatives, and film funding, there's a lot of competition for programs in the territory. We have seen an increase in, for example, film funding because we recognize the multipliers that exist within that industry so really trying to see a growth in that sector given the significant returns we're seeing throughout the North. Thank you.

Thank you. I will go to the Member from Great Slave.

Yeah, same problem. We always have too many good things going on, not enough money for it. More of a comment than a question, Mr. Chair. I think I am done for now.

Thank you. Is there any further questions to Members on this section?

Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So I first wanted to -- I think it's part of this section. I always get confused. The -- okay.

The film commission, my understanding is that we're establishing a new film officer position. I can't actually see where it's reflected here. But can the Minister confirm whether we are intending to add a new film officer position under the NWT Film Commission? Thank you, Mr. Chair.