Kieron Testart

Mr. Chair, I move that this Assembly recommend that the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs make a submission to the Financial Management Board requesting that the Financial Management Board establish a limit on any cumulative deficit or surplus in the Physical Activity, Sport and Recreation Fund and, furthermore, that this limit be made public, shared with the Standing Committee on Government Operations, and reported upon annually by the department in its year-end reporting on the fund. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. With your indulgence, I will also speak to Bill 1, as it is the subject of this report. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Standing Committee on Government Operations is pleased to report on its review of Bill 1: the Western Canada Lottery Act.

Bill 1, sponsored by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, repeals the existing Western Canada Lottery Act, and replaces it with a new act to establish a Northwest Territories Lottery Commission under the direction of the Minister, with the authority to enter into agreements with the Western Canada Lottery Corporation, the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and that is good news. What is the government's position on the statement of claim that the North Slave Metis have filed with the federal government? Thank you.

I think that is a sound policy position for this government to take on this issue of reconciliation, but, you know, it is fairly self-evident from the court cases that have gone on from the position of the North Slave Metis Alliance that they are very distinct from the NWT Metis Nation. They are two different entities and should be given equal treatment from both this government and federal government in the Metis agreement-in-principle. So is the Premier willing to open up those discussions and allow the North Slave Metis Alliance to pursue their own approach rather than being forced into the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize Mr. Bill Enge, president of the North Slave Metis Alliance, Mr. Mark Whitford, vice-president of the North Slave Metis Alliance, Mr. Alan Harman, secretary-treasurer of the North Slave Metis Alliance, and Mr. Arnold Enge, director with the North Slave Metis Alliance. Thank you very much for being here today.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have no other opening comments besides the comments I made in the review committee's report that just occurred. I believe that we are ready to proceed with review of the bill. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this Assembly recommend that the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs develop a funding policy which provides clear guidance as to the funding eligibility requirements, to guide the disbursement of lottery funding under the new Western Canada Lottery Act. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm pleased to see this legislation before us today. It's been a long time coming. Since the election of the federal government in 2015, it's been very clear that the agenda of this new national government has been to legalize cannabis. It's something that Members on this side of the House have raised a number of times, both on the floor and behind closed doors, that this was an important issue of public policy that needed to be taken with the utmost seriousness by this government. It took a long time to get there, Mr. Speaker. It took a very long time, and finally...

I just want to clarify so the Premier understands me clearly, but currently there has not been a process launched for the North Slave Metis Alliance. They have been asked. The only avenue for them forward is to join the Metis nation AIP. So what I am asking the Premier is if he will start the process of fully recognizing their rights with a strength-of-claim assessment so that they can move on with any claim they might make to their own agreement, their own self-government, agreement, their own deal?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Under contract services, it looks like there's a 300 per cent increase from the revised 2017-2018 estimates to these documents before us. It looks like the majority of that money, which is a substantial increase to contract services, is going to facility maintenance and support. Can the Minister speak to that, please? Thank you.