Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Always a great pleasure to welcome constituent Tony Whitford, honourary table officer extraordinaire and brings a special energy to the House, as I think we all agree. Great to see you, Tony.

I would also like to recognize a few people in the gallery who were participating in a demonstration outside the House today passing messages on to the House. My colleague has already mentioned Sheila Karkagie. Also, Keira Kolson and Marie Speakman, I believe, was in there, as well, and there may well be others in the House that were part of that. I appreciated hearing from the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When asked what his secret to success was, Wayne Gretzky replied that most players go for where the puck is while he goes for where the puck is going to be. I know our Premier and ITI Minister are hockey players, and they’re good ones. If we want to be stars like the Great One, we need to recognize that oil and gas may be where the puck is at currently, but renewable energy is where the puck will be by the time we get there. Let’s apply this insight to the NWT economic development energy strategy and listen to the goal buzzer shriek with joy.

It’s obvious that the days...

So, the new one that we read about in the paper was a real thing in the same spot. The temporary repairs weren’t sufficient. Is that what I’m hearing? Thank you.

Thanks for that correction. So the Yellowknife Airport isn’t a new situation. Is that also, do we know, a permafrost thing? It sounds like it is a bigger deal than the Inuvik one. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Thursday, June 4, 2015, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, that the government immediately establish a moratorium on horizontal hydraulic fracturing activity for at least two years, or until the completion of a comprehensive, transparent and public review of the cumulative environmental, social and economic risks and benefits of the process.

Does the Minister of the department and the public support the permanent toxification or pollution of billions of litres of fresh water annually taken from our surface water in the NWT, polluted and stored forever, hopefully, safely underground? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for Mr. Ramsay, Minister Ramsay of ITI.

I would like to first ask if the Minister’s department agrees with the science on climate change. Mahsi.

I would just remind the Minister that the NWT has been blanketed with motions and resolutions from every Aboriginal government across the Nahendeh part of the NWT, requesting just that, a moratorium, a ban, or a comprehensive review.

As I was saying, the science is clear. The oil under the ground in the NWT must stay there, according to science, if human civilization is to continue as we know it. Renewable energy options are environmentally and economically attractive, virtually limitless and promise provision of more clean and affordable energy than we need.

Will the Minister commit to removing...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d also like to recognize some constituents from Weledeh today: Joe Walsh, who has just been mentioned; also Lois Little I see up there, and Carole Robinson, Joan Hirons. There may be others. Welcome to the House.

Mark Heyck, our mayor. It’s always great to see him here when he can get here. I’d also like to recognize the MLA for Nelson, Mr. Woods from the Northern Territory. It’s really great to have him in the House as well. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I completely agree with the Minister. My comments are in line with that. For example, I see development of the energy policy with our new responsibilities, and particularly renewable energy, as some real opportunities for spending some of those remaining dollars, and I think we need a debate on whether it’s best needed there or any other area such as that that committee might come up with versus the communications side of things. Committee did offer comments with respect to the communications side of things that we weren’t convinced that we needed a change in structure...