Kevin O'Reilly

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I don't want to belabour this, but I am going to speak to this one and perhaps the next one.

During the public hearing that was held on the audit, we heard from ENR staff that there had been one meeting between departmental staff and representatives of industry. While that is helpful, I think, as we move forward on the issues of energy and climate change, we need to develop more of a partnership approach on this.

What this recommendation is aimed at is providing some constructive ideas for the Ministers and Cabinet moving forward on how to meaningfully engage industry moving...

Merci, Monsieur le President. My last question for the Minister: I stated earlier today that it's my view that it was very disturbing that our government would sponsor this individual to give such an inaccurate, divisive, and hateful account of civil society. I wonder whether this is something that we can expect from our government in the future. I would like to know from the Minister whether it's the intention of our government to continue to sponsor such misinformation or whether we can expect a more balanced approach in the future. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

I'm really pleased to hear the Minister say that. This speaker who was sponsored by our government described environmental organizations as being non-Canadian, well-funded, with large offices in foreign countries, that tried to divide communities to stop economic development and instigate violence. Can the Minister tell the public whether there is any evidence that any of these organizations operate in the Northwest Territories, and if so, has their criminal activity been reported to the RCMP?

Merci, Monsieur le President. Our government is sponsoring a disturbing talk at the Association for Mineral Exploration Roundup Conference that took place in Vancouver in January. This talk is still available on the Internet. The event was billed as an "Indigenous partnership breakfast, an event celebrating Indigenous participation in mining and exploration." The speaker from BC said a number of things that I have tried to highlight word-for-word:

"People want to talk about negotiating treaties. We have been at it for 35 years [and] should be able to settle it now."

"Non-Canadian money and non...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. In my first set of comments, I neglected to thank the committee members and, obviously, the Auditor General. In fact, the Auditor General himself came to Yellowknife for the hearing. There was a lot of hard work that was put into this report by the committee, and I sincerely thank them and thank them for the opportunity to participate in their review of the report.

I just want to make sure that my Cabinet colleagues focus on the report. This is the most important recommendation that comes out of this whole exercise, and it's about leadership. I am just going to quote one...

Merci, Monsieur le President. I move, seconded by the honourable Member from Great Slave, that notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on March 15, 2018, it shall be adjourned until Thursday, May 24, 2018. And further, that if at any time prior to May 24, 2018, the Speaker is satisfied after consultation with the Executive Council Members of the Legislative Assembly that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice, and shall transact...

I would like to thank the Minister for that, again, that he doesn't share the views of the speaker although he sponsored the talk.

Our civil societies organizations in northern Canada have made tremendous contributions to our society. Some recent examples include the cooperative work and legal action to uphold the Yukon Umbrella Final Agreement and to protect the Peel Land Use Plan and the work here in Yellowknife that has resulted in a legally binding oversight in research development covering Giant Mine or remediation. Can the Minister tell us whether he recognizes the value and work...

Merci, Monsieur le President. Earlier today I quoted a speaker sponsored by government at the recent 2018 Roundup conference. One of his messages was to not waste time on negotiations on treaties or land rights. Can our Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment who sponsored this talk tell us whether Cabinet is of the position that negotiations on treaties and land rights are a waste of time? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Monsieur le President. The NWT's minimum wage is increasing April 1st from $12.50 to $13.46 per hour. It is good news that more money is going into the pockets of our underemployed workers, but in the end, the minimum wage is a blunt instrument for addressing poverty. We need to stop tinkering and take a more comprehensive approach.

As the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment says, his decision to raise the minimum wage follows recommendations of the Minimum Wage Committee report, which is itself not a very satisfactory or independent process. The committee has two government...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I think that one way to get this done faster is to actually probably move one of those positions from Fort Smith and put it in Fort Providence, where most of the equity leases are located.

I will just make that recommendation to my friend, the Minister of Lands, and to my colleague, the Minister of Finance. If they would like to respond, I would be happy to hear it, but that would be my recommendation. If you want to deal with this faster, put the bodies where the problems are. Not that there are problems with Fort Providence, but there is an outstanding number of equity...