Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know, admittedly, I just must be out of touch because when I first heard that His Royal Highness was coming here, I just kind of expected that people would not be all that excited and that there was a pretty normal opinion to not support monarchy, and I was quite surprised. I guess I've been living under a bit of a rock when it comes to the royal family, Mr. Speaker.
But I guess my first question is I know that these royal visits usually cost Canada a few hundred thousand dollars, at least. But my question is was there any cost to the GNWT; did we have to chip in for this visit? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Madam Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The final tally of the royal visit is not yet complete. The last royal tour came in approximately $180,000, and we expect that the cost of this one will be similarly the same. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I guess it's my political opinion that I would rather spend $180,000 on almost anything else. So my question is I was also somewhat surprised that during this tour no one none of our leaders anywhere seemed to suggest that we should stop having power passed down through family lineage, which seemed odd to me. So I guess my question for the Premier is will we stop hosting the future royal family, and maybe we could save some money there, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to start by saying that the royal family has a really special relationship with Indigenous people in the NWT. And if we talk about reconciliation and United Nations declaration, then we have to respect that relationship as well. A part of reconciliation is being able to have the royal family come and listen to the Indigenous governments and to the people and to hear their concerns as well.
So, you know, I have to say that the Royal Highness did come and he did meet with the Council of Leaders, and there was not one that said that they didn't want him there. In fact, they were all eager to speak to him and share their problems and share what they thought reconciliation was and some of the experiences that they had.
I also believe, Mr. Speaker, that it's really important that we as a Legislative Assembly show respect when the royal family comes and continue to be welcoming when their visits are requested.
On the other hand, besides the relationship with Indigenous governments, it helps promote tourism. It got international news. We had people here flying here and more people hopefully will come because of that.
And it's another one that's really key to myself is climate change. Mr. Speaker, we're in a place in this world now that climate change is real. We're being affected more than any other jurisdiction in Canada. We're trying to get that out there. We're also the issues that are facing the globe, such as Russia and Ukraine right now and the opening of our seas and stuff, we can't just sit back anymore, Mr. Speaker, and not get international news. So I have spent the last few months every since the invasion of Ukraine trying to get national coverage as much as possible, trying to get international coverage. So I see this is as one more step in bringing awareness to global awareness to the issues of the NWT and the issues that the Arctic is facing. So thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I guess, you know, I recognize it's largely a symbolic position but from where I sit, one of the parts that kind of rubbed me wrong is the mandatory nature of swearing an oath of allegiance. You know, perhaps you're an Irish member and there's been some blood shed on both sides of that. Perhaps you're of Scottish descent and you got a grandpa who's a strong independence movement, Mr. Speaker. You know, there's no shortage of countries that have fought very hard to be free of our sweet Queen's rule.
But my question is, does our Premier support amending the rules of this House so that, you know, if there is a Member who is a Republican, they do not have to swear allegiance to the Queen and can take their seat in this House? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I should start by saying that as Premier, I don't run the Legislative Assembly. That is the role of the Speaker. So it's not mine to address. But I do want to say as well that as long as we're elected into a system that's part of the constitutional monarchy with the Queen as the head of state for Canada, we appreciate that swearing an oath to bear alliance to Her Majesty is an oath to work diligently within the democratic system in place. It's no different than the oath that lawyers swear as part of their admittance to the legal profession of which the MLA is a part of that profession.
By swearing alliance to the head of the state, we as parliamentarians commit to faithfully serve our system of government. Until that system of government is changed nationally, I don't think it's necessary to change our oath. That's my personal opinion. But it's really your responsibility, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Premier. Oral questions. Member for Tu NedheWiilideh.
Before we begin, I'd just like to caution the Member, please use respectful language and refrain from making accusations against the Minister. Thank you.
