Floyd Roland

Mr. Speaker, the area of climate change, as the Member stated, is one that we had a discussion on, driven by the Council of the Federation of Ministers and Premiers. The Premier of British Columbia had hosted that climate change conference. We made a presentation on climate adaptation for the Northwest Territories. As the Member pointed out in his Member’s statement, we are feeling front and centre — although last week we seemed to be back into the days of cold weather in the North.

We have put forward a position that the country needs to recognize as we’re front line on the changes that are...

Mr. Speaker, along with the fiscal environment we find ourselves in, we also need to look at revenue options. As I stated earlier, we are looking at a number of those options. A carbon tax is one of those on a list that we would have to come back to this Assembly with to see if there’s support for bringing something like that forward.

We have done a number of things. Past governments have, for example, replaced old appliances with more efficient appliances, the way we build our homes, the construction techniques that we use for public infrastructure, as well as some of our own transportation infrastructure. Mr. Speaker, I use the example of mitigating the impact of permafrost. We are putting SM insulation underneath tarmac in a number of our facilities across the North. We are trying to take those types of steps.

Other factors, Mr. Speaker: we have even initiated some work to be undertaken by Ministers within this government...

Mr. Speaker, we have been working with the federal government on a very similar plan to what the Nunavut government has just announced. It’s a combination of the Building Canada Fund and the municipal gas tax rebate that’s going to communities. We’ve been negotiating, and we’ll be signing an agreement in the very near future as well.

Mr. Chairman, I could save my comments ’til Members have had a chance to speak to this, and then I can wrap up at the end — if that’s okay with the Members.

As the Member highlighted in her Member’s statement, the concession agreement talked about a maximum of $5 million equity. The Bridge Corporation could have come in lower than that, and we could have, in fact, as a government, looked at it if they had a dollar value. Of course, that would severely affect their rate of return. But there was a maximum — not a minimum — set, as the Member stated.

Mr. Speaker, the framework that is in place for the Deh Cho Bridge Project allows for indexing, as the Member has stated, whether it’s the $2 million figure that is out there, the fixed-price contract that’s established out there right now — that’s with the Bridge Corporation and the contractor that will be going ahead with the construction of that bridge…. As for any changes, that would have to occur as highlighted. The changes that would have to be approved would have to be approved in this House, once the bridge is in place and transportation starts flowing across it.

Mr. Speaker, the process that we’ve been involved with to date… Initially they were looking for us to look at a number of projects that could be attached to this agreement. We’ve had further discussions preparative to signing a framework agreement. We’ve been saying it’s fairly difficult to highlight project-specific funding when the agreement still includes the federal government having a say in what the final outcome will be on any project.

Mr. Speaker, in this government we’ve given the lead to Municipal and Community Affairs and Transportation to work jointly on this initiative as the Building Canada Fund has those aspects to it.

Mr. Chairman, before I move any responses, I’d like to quote a proverb. “When the prudent man sees danger, he takes refuge; the simple man carries on and suffers for it.” This is something I was reminded of not too long ago. These are wise words to live by.

I’ve heard from Members of the Assembly speaking about what we may have holding for us in the future. It is something that the Sessional Statement was built on: trying to come up with the balance between the needs of the people of the Territory, the vision of the Members of the 16th Legislative Assembly, and what we have for resources. We...