Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Public Works and Services on petroleum products. I have talked about the trappers and the increase in fuel costs to do the trapping. I want to ask the Minister why the prices are so high in the Sahtu. Other smaller communities just had a 10 cent increase, I think, in Tulita. The trappers are asking why the prices are so high again this year.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Public Works and Services, Mr. Glen Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The means by which fuel prices are determined hasn’t changed. Costs are based on what it actually costs to buy the product by the GNWT, the cost to ship it to the communities, and there is an admin fee put on it so that individuals in the communities who are distributing it have the money to cover their services, and there are some taxes as well. The means by which these numbers are determined hasn’t changed, but it does result in a higher cost as the product gets more expensive for us to buy.
There are two price lists that we have in the community of Tulita: non-government customers pricing of gasoline in Tulita at $1.76 a litre, and then we have the government customers pricing, which is $1.61. What is the difference?
I will commit to getting that information to the Member and being able to explain it in more detail, but I do have to get the specifics on that before I can respond to the question.
When the Minister provides the information, I want to ask the Minister if he would take it to his colleagues and maybe they could designate the trappers into the government customers pricing so the trappers can pay the $1.61 per litre rather than the non-government customers paying $1.76. I ask if they would consider categorizing the trappers into that item where government customers are only paying $1.61.
I’d certainly be interested in talking to Cabinet and committee about that possibility and discussing it in more detail with the Member.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
I look forward to the Minister’s end results of that discussion. I guess I’m going to ask what type of commitment he can make here in the House that he will get back to me and other Members who also have trappers in their regions that could possibly benefit from this type of discussion, and what type of numbers we are looking at.
I will have the department look into the possibilities of that right away and get the information to the Member, and we can move from there to discussing it possibly with committee and Cabinet.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
