What would be considered a normal interest rate fee? Do we owe the Nunavut government any money?

The second question is to the Minister of the NWT Power Corporation.

I would like to request a detailed breakdown by community from the NWT Power Corporation for the last three years specific to:

profits and losses,

distribution and power subsidy, and

the dividends raised.

Please provide any details of a prescribing document that states that the NWT Power Corporation needs to make a profit, and what is that profit based on?

I just can’t imagine what the interest would be on that, even at a modest rate. As generous as we are, has anyone worked out what a normal rate of return on an average interest rate would be on that? What would be considered a fair and reasonable interest rate if we applied it on that money outstanding? Is there any sense of that, or was there any work done to assess that?

Mr. Speaker, we heard a couple of programs, and they’re certainly good. But the private sector is telling me that they need more support, because there’s certainly enough work in their businesses and in the private industries to take on more summer students, as well as other types of programs. The principle, really, on this issue is: is the government making money available so the private sector can help supplement those summer student wages and maybe take on more summer students?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I don’t have a lot of general comments, but what I’d like to do is maybe search out a little more information. Some of the general comments speak to an approach as opposed to specific line items. On one of the pages here — page 3 of the Minister’s opening comments — we talk about $150 million in deferred maintenance. I’m just wondering if they’ve developed a strategy that will help carry out some of that, or what’s the approach on how not only they’ve identified it, I guess — like I said, a strategy. How are they dealing with it?

As the Minister says, when government moves…. Well, I’d better make sure I don’t miss it, because I’ll tell you, it takes a long time waiting for it.

Mr. Speaker, when can we expect this initiative? The Minister says, “Well, we have 1,200 days, yada yada yada.” This is a simple process. We could move on this initiative sooner than later. You know, the people expect some type of leadership. All I’m hearing is, “Let’s find ways to talk longer; let’s find ways to plan longer.” The problem is out there. The solution is out there. If the Minister wanted to do something, he could.

Mr. Speaker, in...

Mr. Chairman, my question then would be: is this position being refilled after that transfer assignment finishes? And furthermore, if we leave a manager there, my question really would be: what would the manager be managing if they were left by themselves?

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Minister taking the time out of the day to give himself a pat on the back. I mean, my issue really is what are we doing with plastic bags — not to make the Minister feel better about himself.

Mr. Speaker, what support programs are we going to provide for our citizens and our businesses to make this happen? You can hardly go to a store without them having a special little rack of recyclable bags. So what support programs and ideas is the Minister bringing forward to this problem?

Is this office staffed, and by how many people, if it is?

Mr. Speaker, as I always like to begin each Friday, I would like to make special mention that it’s Red Friday and I support my troops.

Today I want to talk about the need for public support in discussion and education in an effort to gradually eliminate the use of plastic bags. Plastic bags are everywhere. For almost every purchase we make, we get a plastic bag. Here in the NWT that adds up to almost 40 tonnes of plastic bag waste each year.

The use of plastic bags has serious impacts on the environment. While some are recycled, most plastic bags go to the garbage and end up in our landfills. It...