Denny Rodgers

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I said in my Member's statement, right now the residents of Inuvik are paying up to $4.83 of additional costs on their gas bill due to the carbon tax.

My question for the Minister of Finance is what has this government done with regards to lobbying, imploring, begging -- I don't know, talking some sense into our federal counterparts -- to finally get an exemption on natural gas in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when those adjustments for the COLO were made, I believe they were made in the last Assembly, and they were made prior to the 23 percent increase. I don't know if the Minister can speak to if they had been taken in consideration that diesel would be exempted and natural gas wouldn't be and whether or not that's something they're willing to look at going forward as maybe, as she said, take a look at those numbers again. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister. The Minister speaks about the letters that have been sent and the conversations that have been had and meetings that have been had with her federal counterparts.

Can the Minister speak to any responses, if any, that they've received from the federal government on this request. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on April 1st, 2024, the federal carbon tax increased by 23 percent. The federal government, in an attempt to offer relief to some residents in Canada, decided to exempt diesel fuel. This was welcome relief for those who burn diesel fuel. Not so much, Mr. Speaker, for those who burn much cleaner natural gas.

Mr. Speaker, information provided by Inuvik Gas Limited states that from April 1st, 2023 to April 1st, 2024, the carbon tax charged to customers ranged from $3.32 a gigajoule to $3.93 per gigajoule. As of April 1st, 2024, the additional carbon tax rates...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Thank you to the mover and seconder. Mr. Speaker, I've struggled with this motion. I've had some long conversations with my colleagues. I was at one point supportive, at point not supportive, at one point thinking I would abstain to the motion, Mr. Speaker. And, you know, and I'll kind of explain why and where I am now on this motion, Mr. Speaker.

As leaders, as Members of the Legislative Assembly, and as representatives of the people in our communities, it is incumbent upon us, Mr. Speaker, to ensure the actions that we take are principled and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister. Mr. Speaker, if there's one person that requires dialysis, I think that warrants enough having a machine up there. My understanding is the cost of the machine is not the issue; it's not super expensive. But I also understand that if you are diabetic and you live in Inuvik, you have to move if you require dialysis. It's as simple as that, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I understand that one of the issues is that we use agency nurses and local nurses and you can't always be guaranteed that the nurses coming in are qualified to actually use that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thanks to the Premier. And I know the Premier is passionate and serious about working closely with Indigenous governments, and I certainly appreciate that.

Mr. Speaker, the Premier mentioned legislation, currently codrafting legislation that's currently limited to lands and resource, but the Premier's indicated a willingness to expand legislative codrafting. Can the Premier share with us or let us know his plans on the codrafting of other legislations, Mr. Premier?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Premier. Mr. Speaker, the Premier's committed to strengthening the relationship between this government and Indigenous governments and organizations. The Premier recently met with the Council of Leaders. What concerns have they brought forward from that meeting, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move that the chair rise and report progress.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, yes, thank you to the health Minister; she's certainly more well versed in this than I am. But, Mr. Speaker, the person that I did speak with, a constituent during my campaign, had kidney issues and was getting to a point that would likely there was a good chance would require dialysis and therefore would have to move. My question still remains. That person was then told that one of the main issues is not the cost of the machine but actually having the staff to run the machine, and the main reason for that is the fact that we use our nurses, you're not guaranteed...