Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am not sure if my understanding of this is that it is a replacement of the Code of Conduct, but it is rather linking the Oath of Office to the Code of Conduct, so we are, as Members, after we swear our Oaths, we will be held accountable to the Code of Conduct. A great deal of discussion was had about how to give the Code of Conduct teeth, more or less actual, enforceable, and tangible results, and that was a discussion that we had in Caucus early on, and we all agreed was important, so the motion was more than aspirational, but actually had some impact on our behavior...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I appreciate the debate that emerged around this, and I just want to make a few comments. This proposal is not a loophole. It is, in fact, a safeguard, and a critical protection of the rights of Northerners on a proposal that is designed to limit the ability of a candidate to contest an election.

We have reasonable limitations to Charter of Rights. For example, hate speech in this country is not allowed, and it is a reasonable limit on the right of free speech. That is just one example, and there are many more. The honourable Minister of Justice, and I respect...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that Committee Motion 91-18(2) be amended by inserting the words "except in cases of exceptional circumstances as determined upon application by the prospective candidate to the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories" immediately after the words "position of trust, authority or intimacy" in the second paragraph. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Sorry, on the air increase? Oh, the statistics? The statistics bureau, sorry, Mr. Chair, the NWT -- I don't have the document in front of me, I'm sorry, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This one-tenth of 1 per cent cost of living increase would be .08 per cent, the department indicated it worked with Statistics Canada to derive that statistic. Can we get some more details on the calculation done on that or a commitment to see detailed -- granted that this is perhaps not the venue for that, but can we get some detailed calculations?

That wasn't shared with committee during our study, and it's a little troubling to find out on the floor that they have quantified the exact cost when cost of living has been such a concern of committee and of the public who...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The total cost of this, the Minister made a comment that the honourable Member for Nahendeh was incorrect in his assessment; I just want to get back to that number. My understanding is that, should someone travel to Edmonton on a return flight, for example, from let's say Fort Simpson, the cost of that would be a $29 fee once they arrive in Edmonton and once they return to Fort Simpson there will be a $19 fee. So there are fees on both ends of the trip, is that not correct? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd also like to recognize Ms. Deneen Everett and Ms. Renee Comeau from the Yellowknife Chamber. I think we've been talking a lot about women and leadership in the Northwest Territories on the occasion of International Women's Day. This is the perfect example of strong women leadership in our business community whose advocacy is tireless and a huge benefit to the residents of the Northwest Territories and to Yellowknife. Thank you.

We've talked about universal child care for the Northwest Territories. There was a study done on this. Does the Minister support universal child care as a potential project or policy for this government to take on and will she access the feasibility of that in the life of this government?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a recent report by Statistics Canada has shown that the gender gap between a man's earnings and a woman's earnings has shrunk by $0.10 since 1981. I would like to ask the Minister responsible for the Status of Women what response this government has to shrinking that gap even further here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think our capital region is, of course -- there's a significant population, like half the territory, that lives here and that wants to avail themselves of recreational opportunities, but also we have the TerraX mining operation at the Yellowknife Gold Project that is seeking clarity around these issues. There are also our partners in Indigenous nations that are seeking clarity of these issues. Apart from the recreational land use framework, is anything being done by the department to clarify land use for Yellowknife and its surrounding areas?