Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, after considering the budget address for awhile, I note that the 2010-11 budget does not include a coordinated NWT energy plan, and I’m disappointed in that. I may begin to sound like a broken record, and I apologize if I’m boring you, but I figure it bears repeating and I will keep harping away in the hope of a positive response eventually.
I can’t deny that this government has plans to pour, quite literally, millions of dollars into energy initiatives and projects. We heard the Finance Minister say last week that over four years we will spend $60 million on the GNWT Energy Investment Plan. I support these investments, but I still believe that if we had a coordinated plan of action for energy, a secretariat perhaps, that oversees, monitors and implements all things energy, we would accomplish more and in a better way. The work of this secretariat must encompass all of the NWT, not just the government and its employees. Any plan must include specific actions from the little things such as encouraging people to turn off lights when leaving a room, to the mega energy projects like the Taltson expansion and everything in between. We need to ensure that our communities are part of this secretariat, because all NWT residents must be involved, and we all live in a community somewhere in our Territory.
Our energy secretariat would lead the way to establishing greenhouse gas targets for the GNWT and the whole Territory, would lead the way to put in place incentives, or maybe disincentives, to help residents, businesses and the government achieve the greenhouse gas targets. It could lead the way on making our infrastructure developments carbon neutral, for instance, could lead the way with an energy strategic planning process and subsequent action plan, and would lead the way on monitoring and reporting on that action plan.
I’ve said before and I will say again, we would do well to follow the example of the City of Yellowknife and their energy planning process. They did the planning, designed and adopted a plan, then put staff in place to make sure the plan was actioned, and they’ve been eminently successful in their endeavours. We can have that same success, but not by continuing to implement and plan in a piecemeal way as we do now. This government does lots in the area of energy already, but we could be so much more successful if we had one energy leader, one area of government that looks after it all, that would ensure the planning happens and the job gets done, that directs the energy traffic, so to speak, and instils a culture of…
Ms. Bisaro, your time for your Member’s statement has expired.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted.
I’m almost done. Mr. Speaker, we need that leader, that secretariat, so we have a common goal, so we can work cooperatively and in a coordinated manner to achieve that goal. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
