The Government of the Northwest Territoires (GNWT) has announced that three communities will get funding for Coordinators who will be responsible for working on key tourism projects.

This is part of the Community Tourism Coordinator Program — an initiative of the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment designed to help communities hire and maintain individuals to develop sustainable and marketable tourism products.

The communities selected for this intake are:

Mr. Speaker, with the conclusion of the seventh annual Dead North Film Festival this past weekend, it is appropriate that I speak today on our vibrant film industry and its growing importance to our economy.

First, I’d like to congratulate all of the participants in this year’s event.  Nearly 40 films were submitted to the festival this year with entries from across the North, each region of our territory; and from as young as nine and ten years old.

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Good morning everyone.

Thank you to the Parliamentary Secretary for his words.

Mr. Lefebvre has done a great job of outlining the details of the investments that our governments are making today.

As he mentioned, the Slave Geological Province is a region rich in mineral deposits. It is – in fact - the birthplace of Canadian diamonds.

Resource development remains the principal driver of the Northwest Territories economy. This is why the Government of Canada is investing $5.1M in two projects that will support resource development in the Slave Geological Province (SGP).

Minister Schumann delivered the following remakrs this morning at an event held during PDAC. 

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On behalf of the Premier and Government of the Northwest Territories, I’d like to thank you for inviting me to speak to you this morning.

Attending events like PDAC is important for our government. It provides an opportunity for us to showcase the Northwest Territories, promote the importance of mining and the benefits mining brings to the residents of the Northwest Territories, industry players, and Canada.

This weekend, Wally Schumann, Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment and Infrastructure and Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) officials will make their way to Toronto for the annual Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) Convention. The convention, which will run from March 3-6, is one of the leading international events for the mineral industry.

Mr. Speaker, our world-class tourism industry offers the greatest opportunity we have to grow diversity in our economy.

As we approach April 1^st, the budget proposed for the next year fiscal year reflects this.  It contains nearly $6.3 million in contributions and program funding to support our tourism industry; an increase of $800 thousand dollars from 2018-2019. 

Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories has world-class mineral potential that could bring economic benefits to the residents of the Northwest Territories, industry players, and Canada.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories recognizes the need to advance the territorial vision of land and resource management in accordance with the Land Use and Sustainability Framework and we have made a mandate commitment to evolve our legislative, regulatory and policy systems by developing and proposing a variety of Acts including a Mineral Resources Act.

Minister of Infrastructure and Industry, Tourism and Investment, Wally Schumann issued the following statement today on the GNWT’s participation in AME Roundup last week in Vancouver:

“The Northwest Territories has world-class mineral potential that could bring economic benefits to the residents of the Northwest Territories, industry players, and Canada and we have the tools needed and are committed to responsibly managing NWT resources.