Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, so these -- we've heard that there's -- we've heard directly -- Members have heard directly from people working in some of these facilities that they're seeing clients, you know, there's some that are very productive. So is there a pathway that the Minister can take -- can keep these facilities going under a different mandate, keep the staff going, doing the work they're doing of offering programs, and then, you know, the ones that are less productive, maybe hand those over to the local authorities, whatever they may be. But, like, I think what Member --...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, allow war packaging that way but unfortunately these projects -- else I'm mistaken, and I invite the Honourable Premier to correct me, but these don't count toward our NATO -- or 2 percent of GDP NATO spending. They don't count. So what I'm trying to do is if we're moving to 2 percent, or maybe even 3 percent now, if we're going the way Europe's going, to divert some of those, if not most of those dollars, into the Northwest Territories. So defense spending is crucial. It's more nuanced than just repackaging our current asks. So can we get a commitment to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member's statement, I spoke about the importance of defending Canada's sovereignty and making sure the Northwest Territories is one of the leaders in that effort. Arctic defense spending has become a national subject of -- or subject of national interest, especially from those who want to be our next Prime Minister. The leader of the opposition has pledged to build a military base in Iqaluit. Next door, our neighbours in Yukon have established a security advisory council, and they've already been successful in finding some federal funding as well. We can't wait...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I mean, it's becoming increasingly apparent that this program's not working. I don't think it's working anywhere in Canada. But leaving money on the table is not an option but finding money from within is. So one way we can do that is the funding formulas may be the same across all provinces and territories, as the Minister pointed out, but there's different legislative environments. And in some cases, they allow for extra fees, voluntary fees to be charged in jurisdictions, including Alberta. Will the Minister bring changes to policy and legislation to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to hear that. Mr. Speaker, the President, also in his recent address to both chambers of congress -- both Houses of Congress said that the American government would initiate retaliatory tariffs I believe on April 4th. So is there any -- does this situation relate to -- or do our counter-tariffs relate to that declaration? I don't know if there's been an update since then either. I know it's -- again, it is a very fluid situation. If the Premier doesn't have a clear update, that's fine, but obviously this is very concerning for my constituents...

Thank you. And that's comforting to know. I wish them well as they continue to navigate the daily grenades that get chucked into the trade landscape seemingly. It's not easy to keep up for anyone, and I can't imagine it's an easy job for them. So thank you for their service, Mr. Chair.

Turning to fisheries in the time I have left, there's been a lot of effort, I know, from the department to grow a North Slave -- or the North Slave side of the fishery business. Hay River has, you know, a long tradition of commercial fishery and successful fishers over time. I've had the privilege to speak to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't know if everyone is even aware in this House, but the tariffs have been paused until April 2nd. So this whiplash is, I think, driving everyone nuts. The goalposts keep moving, and I think our entire nation's becoming traumatized. And this is exactly the kind of thing that our new-found enemies, who used to be our allies, want from us. So I'd like to -- I'm sure the Premier has been, as he has been through this whole time, in contact with the Prime Minister, Northerners are looking to their government for stability at a time when it's -- chaos is the...

Thank you for that. I want to move on. But I will point out I have spoken to filmmakers who have left the territory because this funding's just not enough to continue to -- them to pursue their career in the industry. So there is a limit to how effective it is. But if it keeps growing, then, yeah, maybe we can take -- we can develop our own cottage industry like what they've done in -- or they did for a while -- it's different now but, like, in Saskatchewan, which isn't, you know, known for its robust film studios and things like that but they had a lot of activity just because of their rebate...

Mr. Speaker, we know Northerners face challenges accessing public health care services here in the Northwest Territories. Our constituents are spread out far and wide across this vast land. Then when we cannot expect to offer specialized care in every community, our constituents still expect to enjoy their right to care that they are entitled to as Canadians. This is where health and social services medical travel policy factors in to break down the barriers of geography and capacity for Northerners to get them to the facilities and treatment options down south which are vital in providing the...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I'd like to just talk about the film industry for a minute. I see the budget's doubled, which is good, and we heard about the multiplier earlier today. But one of the issues with this is it's still a very small rebate program versus other larger jurisdictions. So is this -- I guess, is the intention to this more on the arts side to support northern filmmakers, or is it more on the economy side to grow a film sector, and -- well, let's just start there. Thank you.