Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister responsible for Infrastructure.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member from Thebacha is very concerned about her airport, and I respect that she's bringing forward this question to me because there was some confusion last week on the Fort Smith Airport.
I can confirm for the Member that the Fort Smith runway was always fully operational and it's able to accommodate all civilian and commercial aircrafts up to and including the Boeing 737, the Airbus 8320s, all in accordance with Transport Canada regulations. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Member for that question, just to clarify that, you know - and if there was something wrong with the airport, the Member will be the first one to call me to be able to clarify. So I didn't get a phone call. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I don't have any other question, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in this day and age about 40 percent of youth between the age of 20 and 29 still live at home across Canada because it's very expensive cost of living out there. Housing is hard to come by. And some youth just need to stay at home longer for educational purposes. And some youth, our kids just don't want to leave home, Mr. Speaker, and that's fine. Not all youth have this ability to stay at home or to stay with their foster families. And so I'd like to ask the Minister responsible for Homelessness if he's willing to work on a youth portal that youth can access, and the starting point of that portal can be access for things like housing or how to get your ID or how to access different supports you might have access to.
So I'm wondering if the Minister responsible for Homelessness is willing to work on this type of a portal to serve youth? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister responsible for Homelessness.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. I hear her passion addressing housing for youth. I will have to speak with my - and talk with my colleague, Minister of health, and look at what initiatives that we do presently have. But as of right now, I just have to follow up with my colleague in respect. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I was wondering if that question could be addressed to the Minister responsible for Youth.
Okay. Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister responsible for Youth.
Thank you. I'm in housing now? Okay. Youth housing. Can the Member reask the question because I thought it was going to housing. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would really love to see a portal created for youth so that youth have access to information that they're looking for. So I'm wondering if the Minister responsible for Youth is willing to work on a portal so that youth can access stuff like applications for housing, low income housing, applications for identification; there could be a link to information on student financial assistance. The options are endless. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister responsible for Youth.
Gee whiz, I'm going to have to say yes to this. It's a very good suggestion by the Member; I greatly appreciate that. But it's just not going to be the Minister responsible for Youth. I'm going to have to work with my colleagues from housing, my colleague from health, and my colleague from ECE. And I have ECC on my plate. So, yeah, we are more than willing to work on this. This is something that's going to be an allofgovernment approach. So I thank the Member for making this great suggestion, and we will work on doing that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and thank you very much to the Minister for that. I'm wondering if the Minister will prioritize reaching out to the Minister of Health and Social Services and prioritizing working on the pieces that would be of most help to youth in care and youth aging out of care? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Oh man, I don't know, another yes. Don't say no, okay. I will make the commitment that I'll work with all my colleagues because it's just not health and social services, it's ECE and housing. So we need to have that approach. My colleagues have heard the question here and the staff that are hearing this, we'll be reaching out to my colleagues, the staff there, and we'll start working on that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I would like to say thank you to the other side. I think that there's great opportunity that can come from this, especially for youth who are aging out of care. I'm wondering if the Minister will commit to tabling a status report on this in the following sitting? Thank you.
That I cannot make a guarantee on. We're going to have work on it. I mean, she got a couple yeses out of me, this one here is going to be the reality is we're going to work on it. If we are able to table something, we will. But right now, it's some work that has to be done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following four documents: A Way Home: A Comprehensive Strategy to Address Homelessness in the Northwest Territories; Followup Letter for Oral Question 146119(2): Northwest Territories/Alberta Transboundary Water Agreement; Followup Letter for Oral Question 149219(2): Income Assistance; and, Followup Letter for Oral Question 149319(2): Federal Ministers Meeting with Regular Members. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Premier. Tabling of documents. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the C.D. Howe Report Institute, Commentary No. 595, Aggressive Incrementalism: Strengthening the Foundations of Canada's Approach to Childcare. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Friday, June 2nd, 2023, I will move the following motion:
I move, second by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that when this House adjourns on Friday, June 2nd, 2023, it shall be adjourned until Wednesday, August 16, 2023;
And furthermore, that at any time prior to August 16, 2023, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, or at a time later than scheduled resumption of the House, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as if it had been duly adjourned to that time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to present to the House Bill 92, An Act to Amend the Petroleum Products and Carbon Tax Act, No. 3, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Madame la Presidente. Committee wishes to consider Bill 90 and Tabled Document 94019(2). Mahsi.
Thank you. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. We will take a short recess and resume with the first item.
Committee, we have agreed to consider Bill 90: An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act No. 5. I will ask the sponsor of the bill, Member for Kam Lake, to make opening remarks.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I am pleased to speak to Bill 90, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, No. 5, in my capacity as a Member of the Board of Management.
Members accepted the recommendation of the independent commission on Members' pay and benefits to reduce the base salary for Regular Members by $4,000. A Regular Member can earn back this $4,000 through participation on two standing committees. This bill allows for this $4,000 to be increased at the same rate as the base salary for Members to ensure that the base rate between Regular Members and Members of Cabinet remains the same. These changes will take effect in the 20th Assembly and do not change the pay and benefits of current Members. That concludes my remarks on Bill 90. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. Member for Kam Lake, would you like to bring witnesses into the Chamber?
Yes, please.
Sergeantatarms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber.
Member for Kam Lake, please introduce your witness.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, to my left is Glen Rutland, Clerk of the Legislative Assembly.
Thank you. Welcome. I will now open the floor to general comments on Bill 90. Are there any general comments? Does committee agree that there are no general comments?
Agreed.
Can we proceed to the clausebyclause review of the bill?
