Joe Handley

Mr. Speaker, this winter all Canadians face higher energy prices, and Northwest Territories residents are no exception. The global trend towards higher energy costs, combined with the impact of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, have driven up the price of oil considerably.

To help residents prepare for increased energy costs, we have developed information and tips on simple and effective conservation measures homeowners and businesses can take, and we have increased funding for energy conservation assistance programs through the Arctic Energy Alliance. Conservation is the most effective way to save...

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you and all Members back to this Assembly after a busy and productive summer. I would also like to welcome Mr. Jackson Lafferty to this Legislative Assembly and wish him the very best as he represents the newly named constituency of Monfwi.

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Many Members of this Legislative Assembly spent the summer in our communities meeting with local councils, organizations and residents or attending summer assemblies and meetings. Of course, the highlight of the summer was the ceremony held in Behchoko on August 4th establishing the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased to recognize my wife of many years.

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During the next couple of weeks while we’re busy here she’s pretty much a bachelorette, I guess it is, out at Prelude. Thank you.

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Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, on June 21st, Canadians will celebrate National Aboriginal Day.

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This day is recognized across our country as an opportunity to acknowledge and pay tribute to aboriginal culture, language and heritage in Canada.

As Members are aware, in 2002 the Northwest Territories took the additional step of establishing National Aboriginal Day as a statutory holiday and we remain the only jurisdiction in this country to do so.

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Madam Speaker, we took this step to further recognize the culture, languages and heritage of the Dene, Inuvialuit and...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to recognize a former Member of this Legislative Assembly, James Rabesca.

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James is a strong supporter of the Dogrib language. He does a lot of work as an interpreter and I saw him working hard and heard him working hard in the booth here today. Thank you.

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Madam Speaker, yes, I will take that very seriously and so do the other northern Premiers. I will raise it again with them. I have to say that the Prime Minister has shown a lot of personal interest in the Northern Strategy and I know that he is also interested. Yes, I will follow up with this, Madam Speaker. Thank you.

Madam Speaker, either myself or, more appropriately, the Minister of Finance may want to raise those issues with the federal Finance Minister or with the Minister responsible for the CCRA. The point is an interesting one. It has implications that are good. It also has implications that are not something we would welcome necessarily. But, yes, I think we’re always open to doing that, whether it’s with GST or different ways of doing taxes or whatever it may be that is more beneficial to northerners. We recognize the high cost of living and doing business and the need to attract people to live...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. There is no need for a mediation process. It’s working effectively now. To my understanding, all the parties are working in accordance with the agreements that we have and I’m optimistic, in fact I’m fairly certain that there will be an agreement of how to accommodate everyone’s needs; the needs of the Yellowknives Dene and their rights to land, as well as the needs of the city.

Madam Speaker, I might add that even though the city has prepared and had approval of a general plan, I don’t know of them ever asking for residential land. I wouldn’t want people to believe...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I’m honoured today to welcome to our Legislative Assembly the Consul General of Indonesia, Bunyan Saptomo…

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…and Consul for Consul Affairs for Indonesia, Bebeb Djundjunan.

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Madam Speaker, they’re accompanied today by our protocol and communications officer, Carmen Moore, and summer student working with Ms. Moore, Anne Marie Summerfield.

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Madam Speaker, I’d also like to recognize my loyal constituent, Major Karen Hoeft.

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Thank you, Madam Speaker. That’s a bit of a different question, Madam Speaker. Rather than get into the detail of what we are doing in the taxation area, I think the question deals with a whole list of things that have been included in our first budget and in the last budget. Madam Speaker, taxation and tax benefits are one piece of it. Our government did make changes, the last government, the 14th Assembly, to the way personal income tax is handled. I think that was beneficial to everyone. We have increased the cost of living allowance. We’ve made those kinds of changes.

Madam Speaker...