Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation spoke about the sometimes challenging circumstances with limited resources that the Corporation operates under. I have a solution for the Minister. That is to let the private sector come in and help unburden some of those resources for the people who don't really need them. In many communities, GNWT employees are being given Housing Corporation-owned property. Will the Minister agree to enter into market lease agreements for 50 percent of private market inventory owned by the GNWT Housing Corporation...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is a difference between self-governments, community governments, and private sector, and that is really what is at the heart of this. You know, it is not about building the units. It is about allowing the private sector to offer that market space and to provide a private sector solution. I am hearing more of a top-down approach, more of a maintenance of the government monopoly. Let's let the private sector come in here. Will the Minister at least reach out to the NWT Chamber of Commerce, to the various chambers of commerce and businesses that wish to...

So, no. I think what I am hearing is that there is this new funding made available, that there is an opportunity for co-investment, but what does that really mean to people who want to get into market rent, for people who want to build equity through their properties to potentially resell them, potentially rent them out and turn it into a business opportunity? Is that something that this fund will facilitate?

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to the concerns raised by constituents and the business community concerning the GNWT's market housing program. The framework is, in effect, shutting out local businesses and entrepreneurs from being able to enter and stay in the property rental and real estate business. It goes without question that the GNWT must have a strong housing policy which supports lower income residents and families, yet there must be diversity in how this goal is achieved. Maintaining a government monopoly is clearly not effective, nor does it ensure no one is left out in the cold...

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

Surely, the Minister is happy with the quality of the consultations and is happy with what the bill is going out there. I acknowledge that differences are what makes this House so strong and what makes our society so strong, but to hear that from the Minister makes me question whether he is satisfied with the quality of the legislation. Can the Minister clarify that?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, based on the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment's public comments on the proposed Mineral Resource Act, I have to ask: has this act been written with the collaboration of all stakeholders, or is the Minister rushing to check off a mandate commitment for the piece of legislation that nobody is happy with? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is not that I don't like the comments but that the comments are confusing, and I think a reasonable person would assume differently from the logical contrast of the two comments made. Mr. Speaker, the Minister just said that he is not happy with all of the sections of the legislation. If he could speak globally, what would he like to see come forward that wasn't included? Thank you.

I would expect that that response would be what the Minister would say publicly whenever asked, and yet he gave very different comments in the January 30th edition of the Yellowknifer. Can the Minister explain why he made those comments?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at this point, we have roughly six months left until our time as MLAs for this Assembly wraps up, and I am happy to hear that the long-awaited Mineral Resources Act will finally be made public. Today, I would like to address the Minister's comments rather than the particulars of the legislation itself.

The Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment has spoken at length, in public and in this House, about the benefits of the new act. It will bring:

improved regulatory certainty, while respecting treaty rights;

more benefits to communities from mining...