Robert Hawkins

Déclarations dans les débats

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 63)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Once again, I say to my very senior Member across the way, who probably didn’t hear me for various reasons, I don’t know why, I’m saying let’s create a tax holiday for infrastructure investment that’s new. I gave a targeted sector such as the communications sector a way to help stimulate new growth. I’m not talking about lowering the business tax on any other sector, for any other reason on anything. I’m talking about creating any investment climate, such as a tax holiday.

Quebec can do it. They have the courage to attract new investment. Let’s target sectors that work...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 63)

I appreciate that because I’d hate to see the Minister wrong twice, so I’m really glad we got through that.

The Quebec government has worked very hard to create a taxation scheme that develops and accelerates private sector investment in their economy through strategic sectors they’ve targeted, such as industry, manufacturing and data processing hosting. They realize focused tax opportunities create investment.

What is this government doing about creating investment in targeted sectors for growth? Thank you.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 63)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister can say what he wants, but the fact is this Member is trying to do something and the Minister is trying to defend the status quo. The point is we have to encourage investments, outside investment, in order to create growth and jobs. That’s all I hear is lip service from this government. Here’s a real opportunity, Mr. Speaker.

Will the Minister go back to the table and say how can we target markets to encourage investment in the Northwest Territories? As far as the Mackenzie Fibre Optic Link, we are paying for it and we don’t tax ourselves. We want outside...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 63)

Governments have been very generous on tax holidays and I see his point about, well, let’s just put one particular issue on the table, but often we hear, well, we shouldn’t single out an industry. So now I’m hearing we should single out an industry. So I’ll say, would the Minister be able to create a tax environment that invests in communication equipment? He so rightly highlighted the $80 million investment in the Fibre Optic Link. Well, here we are drawing the attention of the world. Why don’t we expand a little further so that attention of the world gets investment in our communities...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 63)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The NWT needs to attract investment and we always must be a competitive environment because we all know the world is hungry for investment. The NWT is no different. We all know government must raise its revenue through fair and sound taxation policy and we have seen the global environment be very competitive to attract opportunities.

Industry needs help, at least partway through the taxation structure, that listens to their needs. Now, the government doesn’t have to do it all and I have to stress up front, if you don’t have something to tax, you can’t raise revenue, so I...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 63)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, like Mr. Bromley, would like to recognize some Pages, and from the Yellowknife Centre riding I would like to recognize – I apologize if I pronounce your name incorrectly, but I’ll do the best I can – Hunaifa Malik, who’s a Sir John student and lives in Yellowknife Centre; and Mohammad Hasnain, who is from Sir John and a Yellowknife Centre Page as well. Thank you.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 63)

Why am I the only one that’s trying to do work here to create investment? It’s not my job to come up with the number. He has all the machinery. He has a multi-million dollar department that can come up with the right balance to create investment. I’m saying, I‘ve given the communications sector as an example to stimulate new investment, because if it’s not here you can’t tax it. So, how do we encourage investment? We have a good taxation structure. Sometimes it means tax holidays; sometimes it means those types of concepts.

Will the Minister invest a little time in his job and stop finding...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 63)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It made my day. We’ll see how Cabinet feels about it, but you made by day.

I appreciate the Minister of Finance’s ability to distract the House where we got talking about the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Link. That wasn’t the issue; it was about creating a climate for investment such as infrastructure. So my question really is to be focused in on let’s not talk about oil and gas, let’s not talk about the mining sector or the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Link.

The Minister is quite right; we have declining revenue through corporate taxation, so what is the Minister doing...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 63)

I’m not talking about every industry. I’m talking about ones that we’re spending a fair bit of money in. We’re spending $80 million on the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Link, which is a great thing. Well, let’s support that with a tax structure that supports new investment. New investment means new taxation opportunities. If people don’t invest money, we don’t have taxation opportunities, no growth. That’s what I’m talking about.

So what is wrong with developing a climate that encourages new investment, which would be new taxation opportunities? Thank you.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 63)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions will be to the Finance Minister regarding taxation policy. A communication company has approached the Northwest Territories government and wanted to talk about creating a better or more appropriate taxation environment for investment and communication equipment and they’re trying to expand throughout the Northwest Territories, but at this time the monopoly seems to have all the corners covered and it’s very discouraging for a new business or a small business to invest in the NWT if the taxation climate isn’t favourable or reasonable or certainly one that is...