My question is to the Minister of Northern Development. With continuing global economic challenges, concerns persist among our tourism operators, especially those in the north. Last week, the Northern Ontario Tourism Summit took place in my home of Thunder Bay. This critical summit was an opportunity for tourism operators to gather together, strategize and examine ways to address ongoing economic challenges.

Can the Minister of Northern Development please elaborate further on what our government and his ministry in particular are doing to help support this sector as they move forward?

While these investments and the summit meeting are vital for northern Ontario’s economic success, we must ensure that our government continues to advocate for this sector and region year-round. What further actions is our government taking to support economic development for communities across the north?

I want to thank the member, my neighbour, for that important question. In my welcoming remarks at the Northern Ontario Tourism Summit, there was a palpable excitement around the idea not only that we could be live at the forum but that we could share and celebrate in the incredible opportunities emerging from a post-COVID world—no doubt that the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund was there, to the Northern Ontario Recovery Program. We used words like “planning,” “renovating,” “enhancing,” “repairing,” “refurbishing” and “reopening, Mr. Speaker: an expanded partnership with Indigenous Tourism Ontario and a commitment to tourist operators that, at every step of the way in a post-COVID world, the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, the Ministry of Northern Development and this government would stand with tourist operators in northern Ontario.

These are all small, in some respects, but very important announcements for those communities as they open their doors back up to all the people who want to come and celebrate what we already know what’s great about northern Ontario.