Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to talk about the carbon tax because I fear that much of the discussion in the media is missing the point. Many of my constituents have come to me with their alarm and disappointment that the message they hear coming from this government's leaders is that carbon pricing hurts people because there are no economically viable alternatives to fossil fuels in the NWT so let's scrap the tax. The important message that's being lost, however, is that climate change hurts people, that climate change costs us dearly, and diesel and heating oil have many downsides including the expense and contamination of diesel spills.
Our status quo dependence on diesel isn't safe, and it's not cheap. And there are renewable energy alternatives. Some of them aren't even new technologies.
Since time immemorial, many northern peoples were heating their homes not with heating oil but with wood. Efficient, clean burning stoves are now more available and affordable than ever with subsidies by Arctic Energy Alliance. And district biomass heating systems for larger buildings are proven to work here, if we could just get all the different players organized.
In the NWT, we have some of the highest per person energy consumption and GHG emissions in the world, and our communities suffer the most from the effects of climate change so we cannot pretend that this is not our problem. My constituents and others across the NWT have told me that they are determined to be part of the solution.
Now, I want to be clear that I don't believe that high emissions or rampant climate change are the fault of individual Northerners just making bad choices. That's where our current carbon tax system falls short because it simply tries to incentivize individuals to behave differently, but people currently have limited options, so it just ends up feeling like punishment.
What residents need to see is the carbon tax revenues being used to create low carbon choices and options for them. That's where the municipal, federal, and territorial governments need to lead the way. People won't leave their cars at home until there is more convenient public transit. People will not invest in electric vehicles until there is clean, robust electricity system and charging infrastructure. Industry will not develop the supply or demand for renewable diesel until there is a clear regulatory framework for clean fuel standards. Mr. Speaker, I ask for unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This whole time we've had the illusion that fossil fuel technologies are the most economic because we've been subsidizing them with our tax dollars. So the whole point of a carbon tax is to help us plan for a cleaner future by noticing the real price that we are paying for fossil fuels. Carbon pricing should be acting as a kick in the pants to governments to find tools to bring down the price and increase the availability of cleaner alternatives. So carbon tax is not our enemy but if you want residents to do their part to address climate change, first our government has to do its part. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Members' statements.
Good afternoon, everyone. The first time I had the opportunity to meet Michael Squirrel was in August 1987 at a ball tournament he helped organize in Fort Providence. He did an amazing job, and all the teams appreciated the work he did.
This past December, I had the honour of presenting Michael the Community Build Award on behalf of the Aboriginal Sport Circle. I can tell you that Michael has been an active volunteer in the community of Fort Simpson since he and his family moved there. He has dedicated endless hours to building and improving the Beavertail Jamboree Committee over the years. Michael's attitude, willingness and innovative ways of thinking has had a positive impact on the Beavertail Committee and the community. Whatever ideas he has, he is willing to put in the hard work to make it happen. Besides contributing to the Beavertail Jamboree, he assists with Old Timers Hockey and Fort Simpson Slopitch Association.
This past summer he took the initiative to organize a street festival on the main street of Fort Simpson to raise funds for the regional wildfire evacuees and to help distract from the chaos happening in the Northwest Territories. There was live music, many artists, booth of food and product vendors on the street. It was a wellreceived event, and we look forward to more of his creative ideas.
Michael is seen helping with fundraising yearround to ensure the community has positive jamborees. This means giving up some evenings during the week to host bingos for the community and 50/50 draws.
Michael can also be seen at all community events taking photos and showcasing them on social media. It really highlights and reminds us of all the good things happening.
Michael is originally from Fort Providence but currently resides in Fort Simpson where he works and lives with his wife. He is a father of three beautiful daughters. I can tell you he spends a lot of his time on the land practicing his traditional and cultural ways when he is not volunteering. He is an avid hunter, provider, and encourages others to get out on the land. He is a positive role model for our younger generation, and I appreciate his willingness to share knowledge on all the aspects of how committees work and create ideas to attract more participation.
Realizing the time, I would like to ask that the rest of the statement be deemed as read and printed in the Hansard. Thank you, Mr. Clerk.
This summer he sat on the "Shake It Off" ball tournament committee and encouraged all of them to think outside of the box and branch out to other organizations to help in making the event better. He helped organize an Old Timers hockey tournament in the spring because the recreation hockey tournament was about to be cancel. I got to play with him as my defense partner. In true oldtimer fashion, the two of us on the ice made up over 100 years of playing the sport.
Mike has already had such a huge impact on many community members. Often when there is a need to bring the community together, he is willing to make things happen. He often jokes about "what's the next event?" because he's bored or getting antsy. I believe he positively impacts the volunteer community too by embodying the statements of never giving up, keep trying, and to continuously bring people together.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize my CA, Myrtle Graham, who is here today. Thank you.
Thank you, Member. And welcome. If we have missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to your chambers. I hope you are enjoying the proceedings. It is always nice to see people in the gallery.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As a followup to my Member's statement earlier, I've been told that each program is going to get more money or get new money for a proposed new funding mechanism. But when asked, they couldn't tell me, for example the Children's First Society in Inuvik, what that amount would be. For the new funding mechanism, if the department knows all the programs who get more money, why can't the CFS, Children's First Society, get those funding numbers now so they can plan for it? My question is for the Minister of ECE. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. Minister from ECE.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And thank you very much to the Member. I was very excited to hear the Member refer to the virtual meeting that NWT Early Childhood Association had with their stakeholders because I was able to sit in on that meeting last year as a Regular Member, and it was I found it very helpful to be able to hear the personal stories of what people in the territory are going through.
Mr. Speaker, what I can tell the Member is that the Government of Canada has announced overall funding to this sector and, specifically here within the GNWT, for $49.5 million over a fiveyear period, and that's the Canadawide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. In addition to that, we have the Canada NWT Early Learning and Child Care Bilateral Agreement in the amount of $10.2 million. That's over a fouryear period. And I'll leave it there and wait for the next questions from the Member. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, has the department determined how that money will be allocated to each region and each Children's First Centre?
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the dollars aren't awarded or allotted by region. They are subsidies that are provided to child care providers across the Northwest Territories. So it would be the subsidies would be in relation to how many children, if those children are fulltime or parttime, and information that is specific to each child care provider, whether or not that is a daycare provider or a day home. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, have those numbers been provided to each individual daycare what that subsidy will be?
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I've had the opportunity to actually at this point, in my term as Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, to sit down with the association and have a very frank conversation with them about their concerns and about what they're looking for. I know that the department right now is working with the sector in order to do engagement and feedback on where they're at with establishing what the wage grid is. And so given that that information has not been solidified with the sector, that's why there is no final determination of what those dollars are. So right now, the department is working with stakeholders in order to find out, based on the dollars that we have in the territory, where they can work with one another for what the sector is looking for in conjunction with the dollars that we have within the territory for child care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister mentioned the wage grid, and I understand that the wage grid has been provided and the wage grid has been broken into zones for the territory. The concern for the Children's First Society in Inuvik is that they are in zone B while the surrounding communities are in zone C, and I wonder if the Minister can provide a little update as to why that is. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this isn't yet a done conversation. The department is still working with this sector in order to figure out what works best for everybody involved. And this is a relationship that I am absolutely committed to. I have spoken with the association and let them know that I consider our first meeting the first of many. I want to maintain that open working relationship, and child care is something that I absolutely have benefitted from as a working parent in the territory, and I intend to see other working parents receive the same benefit as well. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's distressing for many that Canadian citizens are indirectly enabling the ongoing human tragedy in Gaza through the sale of arms and military goods. Will the Premier write to the Prime Minister of Canada and ask that he stop the sale of arms and military goods to Israel during this conflict? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Mr. Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's a national conversation. That's a federal government conversation. And I've taken the approach during this government to not wade into international affairs. We're focusing on our jurisdiction. There's a lot of work to do here. And I appreciate the sensitivities around this. I appreciate the comments the Member made earlier. There's no way that people cannot be moved by hearing that. But the Government of the Northwest Territories is focused on territorial affairs. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's disappointing to hear that from the Premier because it is a territorial issue. We do have members of the Palestinian community here in the Northwest Territories. And so, Mr. Speaker, I would ask if the Premier would be willing to meet with local members of that community to hear firsthand the impacts on NWT residents with family in Gaza. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We've reached out to all MLAs and encouraged them to organize constituency tours where the MLA would set up we would go to the MLA's riding and meet with whoever the MLA would like us to meet with. So if the MLA would like to organize that meeting, I will attend. Thank you.
Really more of a comment, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, I will reach out to the Premier.
More of a comment. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with respect to my Member's statement today, I want to point out to how important I should say maybe it this way. I want to reaffirm how important seniors and elders are to me and our community. And I have no doubt every Member on the Member's side is feeling just as strongly that we care very deeply for our seniors and our elders, and we want to support them.
So my first question would be directed to the Premier, asking the question and perhaps maybe he can explain as the question why we don't have at least one Minister fully responsible for seniors and elders in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Mr. Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During this government, I chose not to assign any portfolios that had been assigned in previous governments that where Ministers responsible for something without a budget. So we don't have a Minister responsible for seniors, a Minister responsible for youth. And that was a conscious decision on my part because I saw those portfolios, and I heard from the Ministers who oversaw those portfolios, and I didn't think they were working based on everything that I saw and that I heard. When you are a Minister responsible for seniors with no budget, what is the point of that portfolio? I believe Mr. Speaker used to be the Minister responsible for youth so he might be able to relate to some of these comments. But that being said, the two Ministers who have the largest relationship with seniors in terms of their portfolio have met with the NWT Seniors Society the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment and the Minister of Health and they've had those conversations. So that relationship is still there. There isn't any specific Minister to go to, a Minister of seniors, which traditionally was the Health Minister. Instead, now groups like the Seniors Society can go meet with the Ministers who are working with them, so the Minister of Health and the Minister of ECE. So if anything, I see this as a way to create more conversations and more relationships. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that relationship already existed before this Premier took office. So the Simpson government has created the new position of doing less as the appearance of doing more from the sounds of it. Perhaps maybe he can explain how this is actually better, because the previous relationship worked just fine but we've taken away the symbolism, the prominence, the emphasis of a Minister responsible for seniors. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm more concerned about actions than symbols. So I want the Ministers to work for seniors, not to have a token portfolio with no money or authority attached to it. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there lies the opportunity. The Premier could have had the courage to put money behind the portfolio and dignity and respect finally in a portfolio that's supposed to mean so much to so many. Why doesn't the Premier have the courage to make that proposal to Members now? Because not one of us would say no to supporting seniors. Thank you.
Members, please direct to me as the chair and don't direct it to your colleagues on the other side. Thank you. Mr. Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I'm sorry, I'm a little dizzy from all that spin. I don't think there's any I don't think anyone here thinks that, you know, we value seniors less because we don't have a token portfolio. So I don't really know how to answer this. It's you know, I'll just leave it at that. I don't waste any more of the Assembly's time with my response. Thanks.
Thank you, Mr. Premier. Member from Yellowknife Centre. Final supplementary.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not sure how the Premier can justify wasting the Assembly's time by not saying how he can help seniors better, Mr. Speaker, by giving the portfolio the respect and due it deserves. If there's a seniors' portfolio in the Government of Canada, I mean my goodness, are they wasting their time? So maybe the Minister can chair sorry, the Premier can clarify why that wouldn't serve them better? Thank you.
Thank you. So I've been asked the question four times of why we don't have a portfolio for seniors, a token portfolio with no money attached, and it's because based on my experience I have seen those portfolios and I don't believe that they've been effective. I'd rather focus on actions than empty symbols. Thank you.
Oral questions. Member from Tu NedheWiilideh.
Yeah, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our fiscal situation is worsening. The economy is going faster is not going fast enough, and several disasters has put further strains on our finances yet small communities across the North are facing severe problems relating to housing, housing repairs, infrastructure, and services they require, serious investment, economic investment, social progress, fiscal constraints are competing priorities this government must balance. My questions is to the Minister of Finance.
Can the Minister of Finance provide an update on the deficit and debt position of the Northwest Territories? Mahsi.
Thank you, Member for Tu NedheWiilideh. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, later today I am tabling the interim estimates that we're proposing, and with that does come an update as to our proposed borrowing. I can say, Mr. Speaker, that we do typically run an operating surplus where available for the government. Now, we do also provide updates in the fall with the capital planning process and normally would be providing the update as well as part of the budgeting process here. We're still waiting on numbers, and we're still coming in from this wildfire season. So the last time we did May estimates, 20232024 Main Estimates, we were projecting a surplus, and followers of the House will know that over the summer when we had to come back to seek significant additional funding for wildfires that we were at that time taking away significant money from that surplus. So as those numbers have come in, that has reduced that surplus even further and may well put us into an operating deficit for this fiscal year. As I said, again, numbers are still coming in so we're still going to have to wait a little bit longer to get an actual value for that but we certainly the Member's quite right, we're in a difficult situation as a result of the ongoing challenges that we've been having over the last few years. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister of Finance. I think the biggest thing I keep thinking about is the overall deficit of this government. And looking back at the budget books, we're about $1.6 billion and one of the things we don't talk about is balancing the overall budget. So the question to the Minister is prioritizing balancing the budgets of this new government, can you tell me how would you approach on that? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, ensuring that there is a budget that is compliant with the Fiscal Responsibility Policy has always been an important feature for myself, and I expect will continue to be so under this administration. And I do reference the Fiscal Responsibility Policy because that's the document that helps guide our assurance that we're providing the budget that is sustainable.
As far as balancing the budget, having debt in and of itself for a government of our size, Mr. Speaker, is not the challenge. The challenge, though, is ensuring that in our expenditures that we don't continuously overspend as compared to our revenues, and that certainly is something that, the Member's quite right, looking back over a decade, that number does keep going up faster than our revenues keep going up. So certainly going forward now, we've laid we certainly have a lot more information and data available to us on how we can get those numbers closer, how we can get those lines together, and that can certainly be a focus for this Assembly should we choose to take that path. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Minister of Finance. Thank you for your response. I just keep thinking that when you release those documents, I'm looking forward to see it.
Balancing the budget means cuts. Will these cuts be services and investment to the Tu NedheWiilideh riding? Because we get less than 2.5 percent over the overall budget. I just want to know if that's going to be happening. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, just firstly for the Members, communities, and residents of that riding and all ridings, the budget isn't parsed out by one community at a time. A large amount of our budget is actually spent on services, programs, so for example health care services, that don't necessarily line up according to our riding line. So I certainly don't want any residents feeling like they don't get a fair shake out of the government.
With respect to cuts, Mr. Speaker, that would certainly always be the last and cuts to programs and services has to be the last thing that we look at. But there's a lot that we can do to improve our efficiency, to avoid redundancy, and significant work has been done already, and we laid ourselves a path and it's our opportunity to take it, with government renewal and with the data that's been gathered by health sustainability and can we actually look at spending our money better and more wisely now that we have that data available to us so that we can, indeed, bring ourselves to a better fiscal situation without any cuts. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Finance. Member from Tu NedheWiilideh. Final supplementary.
