Robert C. McLeod

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we received a strike notice from the UNW, which represents government employees. Thank you.

As I said, I will commit to working with the Member. Again, I am not sure if this is going to interfere with the process that we are going through right now with UNW. I will confirm that, but I will work with the Member to try to give a clearer understanding, and I will see if we are in a position, without going against our negotiation with UNW, to provide this information.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the chart, and I wish I had it in front of me here, the chart the Member is speaking of does talk to the fact that, if you start at a pay level below level 16, pay level 1, you get this amount of dollars through the pay grade system and the step system. Once you get to step 8, I believe is the highest you can go, then it would be a significant increase. I do not think we are double counting our benefit. We are just stating the facts.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I will deliver the budget address on Wednesday, February 6, 2019. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents entitled "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 385-18(3): Community Landfills and Waste Disposal"; and "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 491-18(3): Fur Harvesting Programs." Further to my return to written questions 13-18(3) and 14-18(3), I wish to table the following two documents entitled "Northwest Territories Liquor and Cannabis Commission Total Cannabis Sales"; and "NWT Resource Production 2014 to 2017." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We have not received anything from NTPC, the workers at NTPC, and my understanding is that the Hay River Health and Social Services were having their vote. They may have had it yesterday, and we are just waiting for the results of that vote.

We will try to provide a document that is as clear as possible. Again, we are in the process of having discussions with the union. We are hoping to go to mediation by the end of the week, and I am hoping that this doesn't interfere with that, but we will try to provide a clearer document.

If the public is having trouble understanding it, they need to contact our folks over at Finance or contact myself. I have not heard from anyone. I have had a briefing with members of committee, gave them an explanation as to the steps and how the document works, but again, I would be pleased to sit down with...

In a recent briefing, we gave committee a copy of the said document and we had our officials explain as to the steps of the document. I would be glad to sit down with the Member, go through the document with him, and explain it a little clearer, but I believe that the document is an accurate document and it gives people an opportunity to see where they might get once they get into the specific steps of their employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to stand here and promote one of the best programs that the government offers across the Northwest Territories. As the Member from the Mackenzie Delta said, it is November 1st today, trapping season, and a lot of people are able to access many of the programs through the Grubstake Program and prepare themselves from an upcoming trapping season. They get further benefits when they bring their fur in. They do get an advance on fur that they bring. They send the fur out to the markets, and then depending on how quickly the sale is is how...

One of the challenges that we face in the Northwest Territories, and we made it known to Ottawa, was a lot of the product that we have coming to the territories has to be shipped into the Northwest Territories. We don't produce a lot of our own product, and they understood that. My understanding is that those products that are coming in, they would have to pay carbon tax on that. That is one of the reasons, when we came up with our made-in-the-NWT approach, we thought it would be easier for our residents if we rebated the heating fuel and at the pumps, as well as the aviation fuel.