Katrina Nokleby

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. While I'm happy to see all our illustrious people in the gallery, I want to recognize my page Chelsea Sieban who has been here for a couple weeks now, and I just say that after our time in COVID, when we didn't have the pages, it's really great to have them. And this group particularly seems to be really on top of the water glass filling. So thank you very much for that. And Happy Birthday to Lillian. Take care.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I do appreciate that the Minister's a bit verbose but I did understand from the first sentence what the answer to my question was, so. I just want to one thing there that twigged me in that comment was the $700,000 to administer the program. So I have to say that feels like a bit of a kick in the teeth from the federal government. Not only are we imposing this all on you, we're now going to charge you another $700,000 to administer it for you. So is there any opportunity perhaps for us to go back to the feds and just say, please, at the very least remove the $700,000...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am now thinking that would be more in the capital area, so I do appreciate the Minister answering my question regardless.

So I guess I I'm going to touch the really big elephant in the room is the carbon tax offset. Again, I still I'm not on the committee. I do struggle at times to understand everything that is going on around the carbon tax. And given that there is $47.8 million here, and yet it's my understanding that we can't use these for rebates, where does this money end up going given the changes come April 1st? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. So then I'm just guessing it wasn't in our predicted mains because we didn't know we were getting it, and I see the Minister nodding yes so thank you for that.

Given that there was a recent article about Canadian North and issues perhaps around financing, without getting too much into their financial details, does the Minister anticipate there's going to be another need for any aviation sector supports coming? Like, I recognize that the pandemic has played its course as far as being like an emergency, but, you know, our travel industry, our airlines are still quite...

Yeah, I'm pretty sure nobody likes tokenism but maybe lip service is another phrase that we can throw out when it comes to this conversation. I mean, I get that there appears to be an intent and a want and to hire and increase representation, but I just don't see it translating to people on the ground. And I recognize that there has been some key hires in senior management even that I think are really good and are, you know, leading the way and a good example. But when you look at just, you know, movement within departments, I can think of within the housing department, a longterm Indigenous...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My first motion, so still learning how it call works. I want to thank my colleagues for being a lot more eloquent than I was in explaining some of the rationale around why this is needed. And, really, the intent is not to kneecap the landlords, or particularly not the small landlords. I really want them to feel that, you know, that they're supported and they're really needed in our territory and that is why, at my colleague's suggestion, that we did include the piece around the potential to apply to the rental office for an increase.

Mostly, Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker,

WHEREAS adequate and affordable housing is the most important concern of many Northerners;

AND WHEREAS without adequate, affordable, and accessible housing, individuals and families lack the basis for healthy living, successful educational participation, security of employment, and participation as full members in the economies, health, and development of our communities;

AND WHEREAS excessive and unexpected rental increases in private rental units can result in debilitating rents, especially upon lowincome earners;

AND WHEREAS renters require protection and...

Thank you. Then my question is why is it revolving fund to begin with? I really struggle sometimes with understanding the accounting mechanisms that have been set up, the third arm, health's you know, the third arm's length health authorities, the housing corp, or NWT Housing not being a department. Like, why did we decide to do it this way; what makes this worthwhile if we can't then control it? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't really understand why the Minister can't answer about whether or not there's an employee from the Department of Infrastructure that has been out inspecting and watching this project for the last two months, given especially the fact that they cut the fibre optic line, and I still have not seen the locator reports from that time that I asked for ages ago. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yeah, and I would definitely follow up with the Minister for a further conversation with her other hat on as well, with ITI.

And, again, I really do want to be respectful of the conversation around liquor and the damage it has done in the Northwest Territories. However, in Yellowknife, and what I hear from some residents, is the frustration at the liquor store not being opened on Sundays. And it strikes me as quite odd in how we decide to treat cannabis versus liquor where cannabis can be sold on a Sunday and liquor cannot. And I know this is a very complex conversation...