Natural Resources committee  We have an exciting piece of infrastructure that has huge potential in the Inuvik region in the Beaufort Delta area and that's a satellite recovery station. We need a fibre optic link to run down the Mackenzie Valley to connect us to the south. There is a huge economic opportunit

Natural Resources committee  Certainly in the Northwest Territories we have just opened up our territory to competition—much of which is going to happen in the Yukon as well. So as we see more business players come into the communities to offer alternative services, such as broadband telephone service, telep

Natural Resources committee  We see a—

Natural Resources committee  I'm sorry. I don't have any costing in front of me on the Mackenzie Valley highway, and I couldn't even hazard a guess. Again, as I mentioned earlier, all the project development reviews up and down the Mackenzie Valley for the highway to be constructed are in place. That was fi

Natural Resources committee  I'll agree. We have the same challenges in the north, especially with the cost of power in the Northwest Territories. We're not in the position of having a territory-wide grid so that we can take advantage of hydro projects like the Taltson. Any ability to lower the cost of livin

Natural Resources committee  In the Northwest Territories, it has been fantastic. Through the impact and benefit agreements established through the creation of the three diamond mines just northeast of Yellowknife, there is a commitment to aboriginal hiring. When you hire aboriginals, you have to train them.

Natural Resources committee  It's up to industry to create jobs. If you increase corporate taxes you then give industry a reason not to exist. By allowing industry to create more jobs to increase the tax base, I think you would recapture many more dollars than you would by a corporate tax increase.

Natural Resources committee  The small business tax credit has certainly helped industry to be able to provide more jobs, to hire, to train, to improve its workforce. Certainly any kind of tax credit to small business, when you're talking about dollars and cents and pennies and nickels, is a big deal.

Natural Resources committee  I would just comment that this is a great indication of why we need redundancy in broadband capability in the north.

Natural Resources committee  We certainly do. In the Northwest Territories, as you may be aware, we're striving for devolution, and certainly we're trying to negotiate a better deal. You're always trying to negotiate a better deal. We're hopeful that once devolution comes, we'll have more control over our t

Natural Resources committee  Absolutely. We would certainly like to take control over our own destiny in devolution.

Natural Resources committee  I'm sorry. I don't have the exact numbers.

Natural Resources committee  In the Northwest Territories, I'll go back to the diamond mines. With their impact and benefit agreements, there's been lots of opportunity for aboriginal businesses. Like I said, there's been 75 to 100 aboriginal businesses created due to that. Something I haven't mentioned is

Natural Resources committee  Let's talk about mining, for example. Mining has been a big innovator in the north, and it has created large infrastructure itself, but it's also because of the two gold mines that are here in town that hydroelectricity was brought into Yellowknife. Asking industry to create that

Natural Resources committee  I'm not very familiar with the spill that's just occurred. There was a spill that occurred in the Northwest Territories—