Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Mr. Fraser Oliver, a constituent of Kam Lake and president of the NWT Teachers' Association. Welcome.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to report to the Assembly that the Standing Committee of Government Operations has reviewed Bill 17, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act, and wishes to report that Bill 17 as amended and reprinted is now ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

So that was a no I heard from the Minister, but, that being said, the Minister is clearly quite engaged in this topic and clearly enjoys working with youth and listening to what they hear, so will he commit to establishing a youth council that will be a standing body for young people to participate in, not just in a youth parliament setting but year on year, and provide ongoing feedback to government programs and policy and allow the Minister to canvass young people on their ideas about what our priorities should be as a government? Will he commit to establishing that youth council?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Northerners know that supporting the development of the next generation of Northerners is a top priority for any government, and this one is no different. As Minister responsible for Youth, I would like to ask: what resources are available to the Minister to support young people, and how does the Minister formally engage with young people and learn their viewpoints, what kind of services they need to support their development? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a few short weeks ago, 19 students from across the Territories took the role of honourable Members in the 15th Youth Parliament. This is an event that is a great way to engage our youth in our unique system of consensus government, civic participation, and assist them in becoming the northern leaders of tomorrow. I would like to thank the Legislative Assembly staff that was involved in this program and the staff who worked tirelessly for months in order to make sure Youth Parliament would come together seamlessly. I can say with great confidence you...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this Assembly recommend that, in future, any GNWT department being audited provide the Standing Committee on Government Operations with a copy of its actions or implementation plan at the earliest possible opportunity and no later than three business days prior to the public review on the Auditor General's report, consistent with the Process Convention on Communications Between Cabinet Ministers, Standing Committees, and Regular Members. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this Assembly recommend that the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs take the steps necessary to ensure that the 13 recommendations made by the Office of the Auditor General in Tabled Document 173-18(2) are implemented in a timely manner. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know that the Minister of Finance has no plans to lower the tax on small business any time soon, but I’d like to ask him today if he will commit to implementing a small investment tax credit by next budget which would give a 25 per cent non-refundable personal income tax credit up to a maximum of $25,000 a year. This would reduce financial risk to investors and encourage investment in our economy. Will the Minister commit to introducing a small business investment tax credit by next budget? Thank you.

Again, I might not have all the answers. Clearly, the Minister does not have many answers that I will like today, but I think there are people out there in our business community who are very concerned about these issues and want to be heard. I would like the Minister to hear from them directly. Will the Minister commit to engaging them in a comprehensive conversation around procurement?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is a more technical issue that the committee has taken with the report. It relates in particular to the contribution agreements with designated authorities and also adjusting the target dates of the priority actions undertaken therein. There is still a lot of grey area related to designated authorities and who is actually responsible. The department struggles with their relationship with these entities. The committee is quite concerned about this and would like to ensure that how we are proceeding on them is clear and specific to what the department wants to achieve...