Caroline Wawzonek

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this did certainly come back through my office, and I recall that it was not deemed to be appropriate to put into the miscellaneous statutes bill. Mr. Speaker, there is some work happening on a national scale. So some jurisdictions, larger jurisdictions than ours, are in a better capacity to maybe perhaps do their own thing, but there is also a national level working group that is trying to tackle this issue, and we are relying on them so that as a smaller jurisdiction we can benefit from the work that happens in the larger jurisdictions and not have to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can speak for the work that's happening within the Department of Finance and that has been underway for sometime. We have advocated and continue to advocate to CRTC, as well as to federal colleagues, in ISED responsible for the broadband fund, that these funding pots need to be available to support telecommunications around the territory, around remote communities, and to better support these access points. So this was an opportunity when we saw some increases in funding. For example, when the broadband line went up to Whati, it was an opportunity for...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that is exactly the importance of ensuring that we get now a process as well that's clear and that's well thought out in terms of what we are looking for before the expression of interest goes out, designing a matrices of board composition. This is actually the kind of work that's been happening slowly over the last few years in the GNWT, is to move a lot more boards towards having a matrices of what competencies are required for success, what kinds of backgrounds, what kinds of education, what kinds of regional representation, to ensure that the board is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is something that is a commitment from the very end of the last government in carrying forward and one that I'm certainly happy to action. One of the first things that we do need to do is make sure we design what an appropriate and professional board and non-deputy minister board is going to look like. So the intention there is to ensure that we are outlining what the criteria will be for an expression of interest. That is right now underway, determining what that should look like -- it is being led by the Department of Infrastructure -- to ensure...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that Bill 16, Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2025-2026, be read the second time.

This bill authorizes the Government of the Northwest Territories to make appropriations for infrastructure expenditures for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents: Budget Dialogues 2024: What We Heard; and, Fall 2024 Economic and Fiscal Update. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm glad there's no time on the clock because I can just keep going as long as I'd like, I guess. Mr. Speaker, I have long said that there's a large challenge in the North with respect to the way that the carbon tax parameters are placed upon us by the federal government. The majority of the actual tax revenue does still continue to go back to residents, firstly in the forms of COLO payment, but then secondly in the forms of a number of other subsidies. I spoke to some of them yesterday. There's a territorial power support program. There are direct contributions...

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, although I've reviewed the report, I'm not in the immediate position here today to get into details. There could be a number of different things that could occur in the course of a year. I mean, anything from low water, changes in fuel usage, the wildfires, these can all impact and influence in terms of where fuel usage is coming in, the types of fuel usage that's being -- that's coming in and being charged. High years of fuel usage, such as in a low water year, could well have resulted in that amount. I'd like to -- I'd prefer to be able to break...

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, an e-scooter is not a bicycle and the concern there being that it is much more akin to some other sort of power-assisted type of device and wanting to ensure that we are appropriately defining and in alignment with what's happening in the rest of Canada, what qualifies as a bicycle, what qualifies as an e-mobile device, and what the appropriate types of regulations would be. So there is, as I mentioned before, Mr. Speaker, the Canada Council for Motor Transportation Administrators, is a national body that has a working group on exactly how to figure...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can perhaps start by saying that I'll work with my colleague, the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, on this area. It's one that I know is dear to his heart, to ensure that all residents have appropriate access to emergency services, and I'm more than happy to do so. I think he, and also my other colleague, the Minister of Health and Social Services, similarly share that we want to ensure folks have access to such services. So happy to begin to have that conversation or perhaps join their conversation so that we are all working towards that common goal...