Mr. Speaker, I had the good fortune to visit my hon. friend's constituency this past summer. I concur that it is one of the most spectacular parts of the country.
I visited a number of business people in her constituency. One runs a small hotel or lodge and has been trying to sell it for about
15 years. He would find a potential buyer and they would try to arrange financing. He found the difficulty was that he lived in an environment that often was rather vague in the minds of southern bankers. It is dark for half of the year and has an unusual tourist season. It was not clear what the season was, whether it was summer or winter, and consequently, the individual could not get financing.
My question in a sense is a take-off from my hon. friend for Broadview-Greenwood. When it comes to financing, particularly with respect to tourist related enterprises in the north, does the hon. member agree it is a major area and that financial institutions simply do not have the financing mechanisms in place to meet the demands and needs of the emerging northern economy?