Kieron Testart

Well, Mr. Speaker, there's a big difference between a system that encompasses 34 million Canadians and a system that encompasses 40,000 Northerners. I think that we have options here, and national opinion polls show that the majority of Canadians want to engage in this discussion; they want to be consulted. This is an area I think that we've seen a lot of attention. So given that the Minister's job in this portfolio is open government, can he commit to at least starting to look at a discussion paper that could be shared with Members on this side of the House and with members of the public on...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, recently the Prime Minister of Canada visited the Northwest Territories, and one of the discussions we have been having across the country and in this community is on democratic reform. Certainly, there are many constitutional challenges with some models of governance in the Northwest Territories, but today I would like to ask the Minister responsible for Public Engagement and Transparency if this government has a position on democratic reform that they've shared with the Government of Canada. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to speak on a terrible time in Canadian history and part of our national history that we must acknowledge, and I'm doing so today because of a recent court ruling that found in favour of those Indigenous peoples who were victimized by what is known now as the Sixties Scoop.

Mr. Speaker, the Sixties Scoop was wrong, a by-product of the ignorance of colonization, and those affected deserve to be compensated, and I'm pleased to see that the courts have ruled on the right side of history.

Mr. Speaker, the Sixties Scoop placed Indigenous children in...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess what I'm getting at, there's a growing infrastructure need for power generation. Our rates continue to go up. Our rate base is not increasing, given our low amount of population. Is this government going to prioritize power generation, and starting with the Taltson expansion. We know they've gone to Ottawa. We know they've had those discussions with our federal counterparts. Have we made any progress on that, and is the Minister prepared to announce a Taltson expansion deal by the end of this Assembly? Thank you.

I would appreciate if the Minister could share that with us all. Does the Power Corporation have a plan to renew this infrastructure across the Territories?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the Minister sits on the Standing Committee of Rules and Procedures; they're currently looking at a report that recommends 43 changes to our electoral system. Is the Minister saying that he categorically refuses to acknowledge any of those recommendations and will not be proceeding with any of those changes, or is he only talking about proportional representation?

I think it's clear he answers that question. I'm not asking him to be the Prime Minister of Canada here and address a national concern; I'm asking him to address issues here at home. We do have this...

Thank you to the Minister. I'm thankful that we don't have a position because I didn't know about it and I don't think my honourable friends know about it as well.

Does the Minister feel that this is a discussion that we could bring forth to Northerners? Certainly, there are fewer constitutional challenges with proportional representation or alternative voting here in our jurisdiction. So is the Minister considering public engagement on democratic reform in the Northwest Territories?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize a former Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Tony Whitford. I'd also like to recognize, along with the many honourable Members here, the Daughters of the Vote; those who will come after us and take these seats. Thank you for letting us keep your seats warm.

I'd also like to recognize Mrs. Groenewegen and Ms. Lee for their many years of public service and their contributions to political life in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

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

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Apart from encouraging students to work harder so they can graduate in greater numbers than before and reminding them that they can access Student Financial Assistance to go to programs down south, what is the Minister doing to help these students today who are not yet in the program but were looking forward to taking it? The high school students, the community access students, who wanted to pursue this in the future now may not have that opportunity. How are we helping them get education here in the Northwest Territories, in the programs that they have...