Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'm referring to mentoring for small businesses. The trades and the mines have their own programs for training skilled workers. My comment was regarding small businesses. What happens, as we all know, is we get a professional tradesman who is very good at whatever he or she does and who wants to go into business.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  It might be a little high, but we know our customers.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  You don't have enough of it. That's the problem with it.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The amount of loans over a period of time is equivalent to over $12 million, so it's not--

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I don't have an exact percentage, but it's fairly high because--

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I believe it's 70% to 80%. That's a real rough estimate.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  No. As far as I know, there are no moneys allocated for the extension from Wrigley to Inuvik, and that's what we're pushing for.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I think that money you're referring to is for the feasibility study for the extension from Tuktoyaktuk to Inuvik.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes, the road from the south comes to Yellowknife. This is a terminus of this highway. To service the mines we use winter roads over the ice, and they are able to get their supplies during the winter. Not all our communities in the north have access to roads. The southern Mackenzie has a good network.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Okay, just to sum up then, there have been some initiatives. Just yesterday I saw an announcement from Industry Canada on providing service for mentorships for small business in the Northwest Territories. That's a solution that we feel can help. Communication, venture capital, low interest, an increase in our ability to get new technologies into the communities--all of that is going to help our businesses.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Merci, Mr. Chair, and welcome, committee, to our north. Drin qweenzee. I quess I can say I'm a true northerner from the Gwich'in Nation in the western Arctic, and I represent the Métis-Dene Development Fund, of which I am a director. We've submitted a brief to your clerk, and they will get them interpreted and passed around.