Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are also for the lead Minister on energy issues. I would like to follow up on my colleague Ms. Bisaro’s questions. I often wonder what this coordinating committee is up to. One of the things that I know we’re trying to do is get community energy plans from every community. Is the Minister ensuring that those plans have energy reduction targets, energy efficiency targets, conservation targets, and renewable energy targets or is it just community energy plans that can say yeah, we’re going to do our best to do what we can to reduce our energy needs?
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The lead Minister of the Ministerial Energy Coordinating Committee, Mr. Bob McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Ministerial Energy Coordinating Committee is chaired by myself and it’s made up of a number of Ministers that have responsibilities with regard to energy in a number of areas. The committee includes Premier Roland, Minister of ENR, and the Minister of DOT. The issues that we deal with refer to the whole of the Government of the Northwest Territories. Individual Ministers still have the responsibilities that have been assigned to them. As we go along we deal with a myriad of issues and make sure the government is coordinated so that everybody knows what’s going on, and then we can facilitate and advance the different initiatives and projects that this government undertakes.
I assume, from that response, that the Minister doesn’t know and so everybody is not in fact in the know about what’s happening on energy issues. Perhaps again the Climate Change Committee within the first year of our Assembly looked up the Green Procurement Plan for the government and found that it was a couple of paragraphs that said nothing. We agreed there was a real need for a tune-up. Is the lead Minister on energy aware of what’s happening on that front and what role is he playing to ensure that’s done?
I should have realized I was talking to the expert on all matters related to energy. Certainly we have a deputy minister group that is coordinating and leading the charge on dealing with greening the government. Certainly with HR we do have a section that’s focusing on greening the government. With regard to procurement, this is something that the deputies will be working on.
I’m always concerned when things get to deputy ministers committee. They often are never heard from again or it’s years before we get a response. I’m hoping there’s some follow-up on that. The Minister mentioned the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy and I’m wondering if he’s intending to ensure that that strategy will finally adhere to the science-based targets, if he’s aware of those, and whether or not he will ensure that those are part of that strategy as we develop it.
I’ll be working closely with my colleague the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources to ensure that we have a balanced approach when we develop and upgrade our Greenhouse Gas Strategy. I think whatever we do, we want to make sure that we can make real progress in this area, because we all recognize that we are feeling the effects and are having to deal with the effects of climate change.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The time for question period has expired; however, I will allow the Member a supplementary question. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister’s comments there. I think we’re all with him on that. Finally, I guess just the concern that we want to be sure this energy coordinating committee is doing its work and providing us good value. What would the Minister say the best value has been that that committee has brought? The committee didn’t exist before. We’ve now had it for two and a half years or so. What would you say the biggest gains would be?
I appreciate the Member giving me the opportunity to blow our own horn. I think I feel that the Ministerial Energy Coordinating Committee has been very successful and allowed us to make progress on a number of fronts where it would otherwise have been difficult to achieve. I think I can probably list three or four items. The most visible has been the $60 million Alternative Energy Initiative. I think the coordination and facilitation of the electricity reviews, I think that the outcome, I guess the proof will be in the pudding whatever the outcome will be I think would be part of that. I think the facilitation of the Taltson Hydro Project and certainly I think that we have been able to keep the Arctic Energy Alliance going and have programs whereby we’re providing initiatives for energy efficiencies. Of course, who can forget the retrofit program for the government?
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 8, written questions. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
I seek unanimous consent to go back to orders of the day item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery.
---Unanimous consent granted.
Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
