Jane Groenewegen

Agreed. Thank you. We will resume with general comments on ITI after a brief break.

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Good afternoon, colleagues. Before our proceedings start this afternoon, it is my pleasure to recognize some folks visiting in the visitors gallery this afternoon. I’d like to recognize the following members of the Conservative Party’s Northern Caucus who are meeting in the NWT this week. First of all, former leader of this government, Government of the Northwest Territories, and now Senator for Nunavut, the Honourable Dennis Patterson. Welcome.

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Nunavut Member of Parliament, Minister of Health and Minister for the North, the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq…

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…who I...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I love that we live in a democracy and we live in a country where we have freedom to express our opinions, whether that be by way of protest or of prodding the government.

The bills have already been passed in Ottawa that bring about these effects. We could protest that here by way of motion in this Legislature. However, given the fact that we have our eye on a bigger prize, which is devolution, I do not think that is expedient at this time.

I cannot support the motion for that reason. It is a way of sending a message, but to me, devolution is the prize. I’ve been around...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’ve had Members say that answers are excellent. Perfect! We’ve had Ministers say that questions are excellent. Boy, this must be Valentine’s Day.

My questions are for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. As I often start my paragraph, I have an idea. MACA is responsible for assessing the value of improvements and land in all of our communities. As part of that responsibility, they send out assessments to every landowner or leaser on an annual basis.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Every morning in committee we discuss the previous day’s business, so I’d like to talk a little bit about yesterday’s business in this House. We’ll call it previous day’s business.

I’m disappointed that when the Members of this House passed a motion suggesting that we could possibly look at some money to put into the conversion of electric hot water heaters to diesel hot water heaters as a means of some energy efficiency on this side of the House, that it was met with such disdain by the Minister of ENR.

I carefully read over Hansard, and actually you cannot read in the...

Mr. Speaker, that is an excellent answer. I pay taxes in more than the Northwest Territories, so I can tell you that in other jurisdictions, this is a practice. I am sure it would require some change in the software that produces the tax assessments and so on.

Would it be possible for the Minister to perhaps have his department do a little inter-jurisdictional research to see how this is carried out, how this is accomplished in other jurisdictions? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a first for me on Valentine’s Day to be able to recognize the lucky guy who has been married to me for 35 years. I would like to recognize my husband, Rick Groenewegen, in the gallery today and also recognize Maureen Maurice, our court worker from Hay River. Welcome.

Thank you very much, Mr. Blake. General comments. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you for that lovely speech. I’m all for growing the economy outside of Yellowknife, as everybody knows. But I’d like to ask the Minister, how did the traffic projections for this projected road, this planned road, compare with other regions and other all-weather roads throughout the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Any further general comments? Mr. Hawkins.