Kevin O'Reilly

Yeah, merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. These guidelines, whatever they look like and that get approved at the end of the day, I think they have some significant implications for the Yellowknives Dene First Nation that live on perhaps some contaminated lands or want to have some business opportunities there, the City of Yellowknife, the Northwest Territories Construction Association. So has the department actually done any kind of outreach to any of these governments? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Governments or NGOs. Thanks, Mr. Speaker.

No, thanks. The chair of the committee is right. Only the House can remove a Member. But that's not what this motion or this rule does. This rule just gives the Members of AOC an ability to discipline Members if necessary. And it's quite an elaborate process that has to be gone through. So it's providing tools to AOC to administer discipline if necessary. That's all this is. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Merci, Monsieur le President. That's great. So public contractors get, you know, six weeks to look at stuff that may have been taking 20 years to develop. You know, very technical stuff. Not good. This is not good public engagement, Mr. Speaker.

But it's not clear what these new arsenic soil remediation guidelines would mean for the Giant Mine remediation project. Although that work was finally approved under an environmental assessment completed in 2014, the soil remediation was based on the old potentially unsafe 2003 arsenic soil remediation guidelines. So can the Minister tell us whether...

Merci, Madam la Presidente. I move that consideration of Tabled Document 97419(2), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 3, 20232024, be now concluded and that Tabled Document 97419(2) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill. Mahsi, Madam Chair.

Merci, Monsieur le President. Well, let's talk about that public engagement period. The extension might allow for more meaningful public input on the guideline but communications from the department, in my view, need to be improved.

Can the Minister tell us whether he is prepared to improve public communications, including a further extension, some plain language materials on this important policy document, and maybe even a public meeting or a webinar? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Yeah, thanks, Madam Chair. I think that was a detailed explanation of yes, this is a onetime increase. But maybe I'll just turn it back to the Minister. Thanks.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I would like recognize one of the pages, Kole Lizotte. I believe he has a special someone who might work here as well. But also I believe Frame Lake resident Audrey Henderson is, I think behind me, is here as well and I want to welcome her to the Assembly. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Yeah, thanks, Madam Chair. I've got a couple questions if I can. Is this a onetime increase, or is this a permanent increase to the borrowing limit? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Yeah, thanks, Madam Chair. Yeah, I just a few things I guess I want to say that having sat eight years on this side of the House, one of the few points of leverage that Regular MLAs have is in budgets and both on the capital and O and M side. And, you know, I think Regular MLAs can and should and do use that leverage to negotiate what we believe sometimes should be priorities for our residents as well. Sometimes we maybe have a slightly different take than our colleagues on the other side, but that's how consensus government is supposed to work. People don't elect us here to agree with each...

Yeah, thanks, Mr. Chair. I have a question about the amendment, and I want to ask the law clerk.

I'm just the Minister said that the if this motion is not passed that dental hygienists would be completely unregulated. And I believe that the motion actually is to the first part of the bill, not the second part, which is where you would remove the Dental Auxiliaries Act application. But thanks.