Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I suppose it's a bit clearer, but I think committee had a different understanding when we embarked on our report.

The other thing, the Minister made reference that carbon taxes and other cost of living increases are not part of this plan, but I would argue that our cost of living has everything to do with the Yellowknife Airport and any fees need to be carefully measured. The committee has recommended that the airport fees be implemented over time rather than all at once.

Now the Minister has already said that he disagrees with that, but does he further disagree with the...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This has been a long road coming to this place for Bill 7. Initially it came to committee and some details were omitted that didn't allow proper analysis. It went back for review for 120 days and committee has had time to consider it. Those public consultations, at least for me -- and I'll be clear, I am speaking for myself as an honourable Member of this House -- those public consultations were a real eye-opener for me. At first, the bill seemed an important step forward in delivering on crucial infrastructure improvements for the Yellowknife Airport and further economic...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Some analysts have taken a look at these, the most recent statistics, and seen that improving women's participation in the labour force might actually offset some declines. This could be an economic drive for getting more women into the work force. Will the Minister commit to applying that kind of gender-based analysis to things like Skills 4 Success and other government initiatives in her role of Minister for the Status of Women so we can start to see those benefits roll out in across the government approach to empowering women in the Northwest Territories across...

Those are concrete steps. I know this is a complicated topic. Another issue is that Canadian women are less likely to be employed. Nearly 10 per cent are less employed than men and are four times are more likely to work part-time compared to men. Often, this is due to child care. Does the Minister have any suggestions or proposals that this government will do to improve access to affordable child care in the Northwest Territories?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate that it's a complex issue and the Minister is doing his best to explain it in a way that fits into the question period. Can you make a commitment, then, to let to us know when this recreational framework will be completed and start having an effect on recreational land leases for Yellowknife? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Should this bill move forward and the airport improvement plan be implemented, although obviously I do not support that, but should it move forward, I think the committee has provided balanced and sound recommendations to improve upon the government's plans for the Yellowknife Airport. I would encourage our colleagues across the aisle to support this and to implement the recommendations and ensure that this plan is held to the highest level of public scrutiny and has the greatest benefit economically to our residents. Thank you.

The Recreational Land Use Planning Framework, does that only deal with recreational land, as its name would imply, or does it deal with all other types of land that would be subject to a land use plan?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I didn't so much ask for an assessment, but if the department had done that work. So did they do a cost assessment for each of our regional centres and the average household cost of travel and how it will be impacted by the increased fees of our gateway airport? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today marks International Women's Day, and the theme this year is "Be bold for change." The Northwest Territories certainly has no shortage of bold women leaders who have made an indelible mark on our political landscape, from Lena Pederson, our first elected MLA in 1970, at a time when the territory was just beginning to form responsible government, to Ethel Blondin-Andrew, the first Indigenous woman elected to federal parliament in 1988 and later federal Cabinet Minister. In 1991, Nellie Cournoyea was appointed as the first female Premier of a territory...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. On Thursday, March 2, 2017, the Standing Committee on Government Operations presented its report on the review of the Northwest Territories Information and Privacy Commissioner's 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 Annual Reports. The report, which includes eight recommendations, was read into the record by the chair of the committee, and a motion was passed that moved the report into Committee of the Whole.

Mr. Chair, the standing committee's recommendations largely centre around two key pieces of legislation and the government's work related to them. They are the Access to...