Robert C. McLeod

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The regulations need to be developed very quickly, so we will get that done, and then, as the next government goes through the main estimates process, there may be other opportunities for input, but the regulations need to be done as quickly as possible, and we are going to undertake that work. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. To my right, I have Mr. David Stewart, the deputy minister of Finance. To my left, I have Ms. Cherie Jarock, who is legislative counsel. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. No, the regulations haven't been shared. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled "Northwest Territories Waste Resource Management Strategy and Implementation Plan." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. We designed a program that would mitigate the impact to the people of the Northwest Territories, the cost of doing business in the Northwest Territories. Like I said before, the easiest thing we could have done is nothing and let the government decide what's good for us, like they have been doing for a long time. Those days are over. I've said before, to delay this to the 19th, we need to come up with a decision. Do we just stop what we do and say, well, federal government, you take over because nobody wants a carbon made-in-the-North approach to carbon tax, and...

I take the Member's point, because we are from a region where there is still a lot of traditional activity that goes on. They depend on the funds received from a lot of these auctions to finance their upcoming season. One of the ways that we do help them, though, is with the Grubstake Program, which is one of the better programs that are offered to those that continue to live a traditional lifestyle. We don't anticipate any changes to the normal timelines, and I think the plan is on track and will be available in and around September 15th.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair, and I will be very quick. The easiest thing for this government to do would have been to say, okay, well, we will do nothing. We had a lot of people working on this, trying to mitigate some of the impact, but the easiest thing to do would have been to just sit back, do nothing, and let the federal government put their backstop in. Then this government would have been accused of not doing anything and letting the federal government just come in and impose their backstop on us without trying to work for the people of the Northwest Territories and help mitigate some of...

Mr. Speaker, the issue of property tax arrears has often been cited as a barrier for residents trying to purchase land, obtain a mortgage, or access various Government of the Northwest Territories programs. Frequently, a significant portion of these arrears are attributable to interest charged on outstanding debt. The impact of this interest compounds over time and can leave residents with significant challenges to recover.

To address the issue of accumulated arrears, the government has established the Property Tax Arrears Program. This program is designed to provide property tax interest...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following three documents entitled "Northwest Territories Species At Risk Committee Annual Report 2018-2019"; "Conference of Management Authorities - Species At Risk Annual Report 2018-2019"; and "Public Service Annual Report 2018/2019." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The GNWT has done some high-level estimates regarding the cost of extending the fibre line to Tuktoyaktuk. This project is being considered as part of the Investing in Canada Plan. The GNWT, we are committed to working on a more detail plan related to this project which will ultimately determine the final cost and timing.