Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister’s response is entirely unacceptable. This has been raised repeatedly, and now through our expensive Energy Charrette – yet another one – it has been raised as the answer to a lot of our issues and providing benefits including addressing the cost of living.

How often does this need to be done? Now we’re sloughing it off again. The Minister is giving responses like need to discuss, we’ll try and discuss, don’t know what the timing would be like.

For goodness sake, this is long overdue. Long overdue. Lots of other jurisdictions in Canada have done this. It has...

I didn’t hear that the Minister was going to put this act in place.

Again, the charrette was very clear in its view that the energy efficiency act would be a cornerstone towards a secure energy future, economic sustainability, environmental responsibility and, most importantly, reducing the cost of living. To now leave this important work for some review later on in the 18th Assembly would make a bad track record even worse.

Will the Minister commit to bringing this act forward for adoption during the life of this Assembly?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the most important recommendations to come out of the last Energy Charrette was the need for the creation of an NWT energy efficiency act. Some of us have pushed for this throughout our term but have been sloughed off by costly ministerial statements like, “I believe communities know what needs to be done.”

Getting this act in place needs to be a priority for this government. Given the dollars that go to energy costs and the effect energy production has on the cost of living and environment, it’s unbelievable that we don’t have one already. Leaving this for the...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to correct an impression that I apparently perplexed both the Minister and the Premier with. I have been commenting that the science shows we cannot pursue the exploitation of our fossil fuel reserves in the Northwest Territories as a cornerstone of an economic development strategy. Both this Minister and the Premier are, unintentionally I am sure, misconstruing this comment to say that I want a faster shift to renewable energy. I think we all want a faster shift to renewable energy but that’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying we cannot build our economy on...

Thank you for that information from the Minister. Glad to hear that’s happening. That’s part of regular business. Unfortunately, we’ve had lots of meetings during the last six or eight years like this and the Association of Communities has raised the need for an energy efficiency act and standards.

Will the Minister, again, commit to bringing forward this legislation for adoption by the 17th Assembly? Third time.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Public Works and Services. Today I am following up on my Member’s statement.

The Energy Charrette held three months ago released its report a month and a half ago. One of its key findings was the urgent need for an energy efficiency act for the Northwest Territories. Getting this act in place needs to be a priority for us.

Will the Minister please confirm to the House that such an act is indeed being worked on by his officials for adoption during the life of this Assembly? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think I heard the Premier say he will respond to my recommendation and get us out of the fossil fuel business. The science is clear. It’s peer reviewed in the most prestigious science journal we have globally. Yet, the Premier is pursuing fossil fuel development in his expensive travels about the world and so on.

Will the Premier, in fact, shift the resources? I believe looking at the budget we have about $5 million in fossil fuel development. Will he shift those resources in pursuing a sound and sustainable economy that’s based exclusively on renewable energy? Mahsi.

Thank you to the Premier for that response. I will share some of those resources with the Premier and, hopefully, Cabinet. My colleague mentioned February 13th Divestment Day. I’m sure the Premier has heard that many billions of dollars have been divested away from fossil fuels around the world. It’s a bit of a movement from people recognizing the extreme degree of action that’s required. The Rockefellers and so on have divested their interest in fossil fuels.

Will this government recognize that sort of thing and bring that into their thinking? The science clearly says that we must be moving...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d also like to recognize the lady in the pink house, the irrepressible Gail Cyr, a resident of Weledeh. I also appreciate very much the work that’s being done and the people who are attending the school. So, hats off to the Status of Women Council staff. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good morning, colleagues. Recent articles in the prestigious Nature science journal show that in order to salvage even a 50 percent chance of stopping dangerous climate change, as mentioned by my colleague Mr. Nadli, most of the untapped fossil fuels worldwide need to stay in the ground. Specifically, 80 percent of known coal reserves, 50 percent of gas and 30 percent of oil reserves must be left untapped over the next 40 years to keep to the internationally agreed upon limit of a two degree increase in average global temperature.

With additional study and taking into...