Kieron Testart

Mr. Speaker, the 33 communities of the Northwest Territories are governed by a suite of territorial legislation made up of the Hamlets Act, the Charter Communities Act, and the Cities, Towns and Villages Act, all of which were enacted in 2003. Together, these statutes provide the legal authority for municipal operations in all of our communities.

The Cities, Towns and Villages Act, also referred to as the CTV Act, governs the larger communities in the Northwest Territories, including the City of Yellowknife. It provides the essential legal framework establishing a municipality and authorizing...

When is that later date?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to be clear. We're not talking about reviewing the royalty regime. We're talking about publishing the financial transparency around the economic contributions the mining industry is making to the Northwest Territories and to this government. This is something the mining industry does in other jurisdictions. This is something the Chamber of Mines assists with in other jurisdictions. I'm asking the Minister of Transparency if he can help be a leader on fiscal transparency as it relates to the extractive sector, either through legislation, either through annual...

I always appreciate an impassioned defense of secrecy from the Minister of Public Engagement and Transparency. The Chamber of Mines here in the Northwest Territories currently produces reports and does this work to roll up royalty information. The Minister is not willing to bring forward legislation or table a report. Will he at least give a contribution to the Chamber of Mines to do this work on his behalf?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was pleased to see the honourable Member for Yellowknife North speaking about very important issues to me, both mining and transparency. I would like to ask the Minister of Transparency some questions around transparency over the royalty regime and the benefits the mining sector is paying into the Northwest Territories.

In the federal context, there is a piece of legislation called the Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act, and this act has created a federal government website that you can look up mining companies and see what payments they had been making to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh, that Minister's Statement 19-18(3) delivered by the Honourable Alfred Moses regarding the Aurora College Foundational Review progress be moved into Committee of the Whole for further consideration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your committee would like to report on its consideration of Bill 1, the Western Canada Lottery Act. Bill 1 received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on October 20, 2017, and was referred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations for review.

Today, I would like to advise the House of the committee's wish to extend our review of the bill with the intention of reporting back to the House on or before February 28, 2018. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, in accordance with Rule 75(1)(c) of the Rules of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest...

Government.

I will remind the honourable Minister that we're the ones who make the rules for the industry. They don't make the rules for themselves. The industry seems to be quite fine to have this information published on a federal website which includes payments made to the GNWT and to Indigenous organizations within the Northwest Territories. If he is not willing to move forward on legislation, will he begin the work on a clear annual statement on how much royalties were received; how much were shared with each Indigenous group; and that this report be tabled annually in the Legislative Assembly? Will...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I spoke on the importance of the arts and the need for further investment, but let it be known that that does not take away from my deep admiration for those who participate in sport, physical activity, and recreation. It is on that note that I would like to give special recognition to those Northerners who are participating in the largest display of athletic about in the world, the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Sport brings the world together in celebration of excellence.

It is with the deepest pride and greatest pleasure...