Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know who's not under a borrowing limit? Private companies like ATCO and other private power producers that operate in southern jurisdictions who could be willing partners in helping solve these challenges. Why are we continuing to support the public corporation that's not lowering costs, that's not transitioning us to clean energy, and is only making things more expensive for Northerners? Have we considered privatization? Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'm interested in pursuing those policy changes because we need to be able to get more renewables into these systems. We need to increase our resiliency. So the Minister spoke about a lot of nice things. We know the timeline of what's in this capital budget. What about those policy changes, when are we going to start working on those? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister work with or make a commitment to follow up with the Yellowknife fire department and work with them to improve access and costs to training? They're the real experts in this area. They brought these concerns to me and they can speak to this far better than I can. So will the Minister commit to working with our local fire chief here in the capital? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I knew this was the right Minister to talk to, not only because it's his portfolio but it's his passion. So after 30 years, I'm glad he's going to bring that energy to the role, Mr. Speaker. What fire service training is currently offered through the Office of the Fire Marshal? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, once again, it's that time of year to start cranking up our heaters and plugging in our vehicles as the temperatures increasingly drop overnight. Yes, we are all accustomed to winter seasons, but what many of us are unprepared for is ba winter season in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis.

Keeping homes warm is increasingly becoming a struggle for too many -- far too many Northerners who can't afford the rising costs of heating fuel. And this can only get worse as economic opportunities dry up. An unsurprising consequence of this drop in a standard of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to rise in support of this piece of legislation. Bill 15 represents a very important relationship that this government has with First Nations and Indigenous governments across the territory. This bill will establish trust that will allow around half a billion of dollars of money to flow into the Northwest Territories for a whole bunch of purposes around conservation, Indigenous guardian programs, economic development, and the list does go on; it's quite exhaustive. And I think one other thing that's very remarkable is the speed at which the...

Point of Order.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I will close discussion. So I was contemplating reading at length from Tabled Document 204-20(1), which is the patient survey that the Member for Yellowknife Centre and I brought forward to the House. I'm not going to do that. The document speaks for itself. But I do encourage everyone, in particular our Cabinet colleagues, to read that document and see in their own words what practitioners, members of the public, said in that survey. I think it's valuable to let them tell their own stories, and we'll continue to hear their -- we'll continue to hear those stories...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS access to health care and addressing the effects of trauma is a priority for the 20th Legislative Assembly;

AND WHEREAS the financial outlook of the Northwest Territories is dire despite the efforts of the Government of the Northwest Territories through its fiscal strategy;

AND WHEREAS sustained shortages of staff have reduced access to health care services in NWT communities and placed increased operational demands on full-time staff leading to burnout;

AND WHEREAS the Auditor general of Canada indicated an emphasis of matter in the 2022-2023 Public Accounts...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, these ever-increasing rate increases are putting so much pressure on Northerners, many of them are leaving their communities. Does the Minister believe that the subsidies that are being rolled out to cushion -- cushion these rate increases are sufficient? And how does she know that? Thank you -- what went into the calculation? Thank you.