Kevin O'Reilly

Thanks, Madam Chair. I appreciate the responses from the Minister. I am about tax fairness, and I just want to give the Minister a couple of ways in which she could raise $1.4 million for the public record. She could actually keep the rental fees that are in the current exploration licence for Husky Energy and carry those over into the significant discovery licence and raise $1.4 million a year. That's one option; she doesn't really have to do very much on that one.

The other one is, and I've said this before, we're one of the few jurisdictions in Canada that only has three personal income tax...

Thanks, Madam Chair. I do appreciate that. Is the Minister willing to share some of that kind of analysis that she talked about? In the past, there have been revenue options papers generated by Finance Ministers. Is the Minister willing to make public perhaps an updated version of a tax options paper, or a revenue options paper, in preparation for the next budget? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thanks, Madam Chair. Are there any plans, then, to make up this lost revenue somewhere else in the tax system? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thanks, Madam Chair. I don't have any difficulty with the administrative changes here for the most part. I am concerned about the reduction in the small business tax rate. Can the Minister tell me why we are doing this? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Merci, Monsieur le President. The former Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment issued 10 significant discovery licences for oil and gas during the last Assembly. This was a huge post-devolution resource giveaway. The area covered by these licences is almost 2,200 square kilometres, an area about 40 percent the size of Prince Edward Island. Our government will get no revenues, no taxes, no employment, and no benefits from these areas that are now tied up virtually forever.

Significant discovery licences arose in the federal legislation that we inherited for petroleum resources. They allow...

Thanks, Madam Chair. I appreciate that. I just want to be crystal clear. The money can be carried over from last year to this year to allow for the survey work to be done? You don't have to cut internally, look for unused funds in other parts of ENR, or even within wildlife and fish to do the work? I just want to be really clear about that. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thanks, Madam Chair. If we can start on page 73. When I look down the program detail line for 2021-2022, all of those items are actually reduction from the previous year except for policy, legislation, and communications. Can someone tell me what's going on here? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thanks, Madam Chair. Let's talk about caribou. The barren-ground caribou surveys were supposed to happen last year. They didn't because of COVID. What's happening this summer? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thanks, Madam Chair, and you're welcome to the Speaker for asking these questions. I have one more, if I could. There is an increase of the director, Human Rights Commission line of about $200,000, and I'd like to get an explanation there. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thanks. Yes. I know we're into year two of a pandemic, but it's an important time at some of these sites, as well, and the life cycle of some of these mines. The deputy minister knows this way better than I, that, in a couple of months, we're going to be talking about spring freshet. That's a very important time at these sites because water starts moving around and strange things can happen. I don't think our folks were able to go there in May and June of 2020, so I want to make sure that our folks get there this year and are able to do their work. I don't know what else I can say. Thanks...