Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask questions again today in regard to an NWT-wide coordinated energy plan. I’m going to direct my questions today to the lead Minister for the Ministerial Energy Coordinating Committee to see whether I can get some more full answers, perhaps.
Yesterday, the Minister of Finance, in answer to my questions, implied that we have a coordinated approach to energy across the NWT. So I would like to ask the Minister for MECC if he can identify for me the one document which outlines all the NWT energy activities for both the government and our residents. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister responsible for the Ministerial Energy Coordinating Committee, Mr. Bob McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess I can point out a number of different documents. I can also tell her that the previous two governments created energy strategies that cost about a couple of million dollars apiece both in the 14th Assembly and the 15th Assembly, so we do have a benefit of those documents. We have a number of different departments that have different responsibilities. I guess a good place to start would be the business plans of this government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the Minister but, again, I have to ask the same question. I am asking for one document. Does this government have one document which talks about all the energy activities that we do? He’s mentioned that there are a number of documents. I don’t dispute that. There are way too many documents, in my view. He has also talked about strategies which we paid for many millions of dollars. Where are those? Why aren’t we using them? Is there one document which coordinates all our energy activities? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, like a well oiled machine, we have a number of different charts and a number of different connections. We do have a number of different departments that are responsible for a number of different things. We have a number of coordinating committees that ensure that all of the provisions that have been identified and the different strategies are provided for. The Department of ENR deals with energy conservation, energy efficiency. We also have ITI that has the energy planning unit. We have the Executive and the Premier responsible for the Northwest Territories. In our commission, we have the Ministerial Energy Coordinating Committee. We make sure that all aspects of energy are dealt with. As far as having a separate department that would house all of these different responsibilities, well, that is something that is a decision that is made when you look at the structure of government. Up until this point, it has been seen that it can work very well through Ministerial Energy Coordinating Committee. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I guess I have to take from the Minister’s answer... That was a simple yes or no question. I don’t think I heard either yes or no in that answer. So I have to assume there is no one document. I didn’t ask for a new department. I asked for a document.
Mr. Speaker, the GNWT has a Greenhouse Gas Strategy. I believe that we have a target within that strategy. It is probably outdated, but I believe that we have one. I would like to know what our government is doing to include our communities and all of our residents as individuals in setting and meeting their own greenhouse gas targets. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, as my colleague indicated, we do have a Greenhouse Gas Strategy. It is one that needs to be reviewed and updated. Every community in the Northwest Territories has a sustainable energy plan. It has been provided for through different levels of government funding. Like the Minister of Environment has indicated, it is very difficult for us to go on our own. We have to know what the United States is doing with regards to climate change and greenhouse gases. Here in the Northwest Territories, we only provide for a very small part in the whole world in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. Although we are the highest per capita as emitters of greenhouse gases, but we do have a process. We do have a Greenhouse Gas Strategy, and we will be updating that strategy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Mr. Speaker, I guess I just have to say to the Minister that I have a really hard time with the argument that we need to wait for what the U.S. does or we need to align ourselves with the United States. I am sorry, but we are a Territory in and of our own right. We should be doing our own work and setting our own targets. The fact that it is only a small bit in the environment of the world has nothing to do with the fact that we should do it.
I would like to ask the Minister if he can identify, and this is again in terms of energy initiatives, what the GNWT is doing to educate our residents and our staff about energy initiatives that they can, as individuals, take part in to better our environment. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I did say that, although we are only a small part, we are doing a greenhouse gas review. We will have a Greenhouse Gas Strategy where we will be doing more than our share. I agree with the Member; education is very important to anything that we do. We have the Arctic Energy Alliance, which is funded by a number of government departments. This is something that we focus on continually in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. There is a whole conservation education department. This is one of the priorities for this government. Also through the $60 million of Alternative Energy Initiative, we have identified the need for education and we will make sure that we differentiate between energy efficiency and alternative energy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
