Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for my statement today I am going to join my colleagues in talking about the various aspects of energy in the NWT. First, I want to mention an issue that has been brought up by several Members throughout this Assembly, including myself, and that issue is about the board of directors at the NTPC Power Corp.
Mr. Speaker, in May of 2016, the Minister at the time for NTPC had decided to dissolve NTPC's board of directors and replace the sixperson board with deputy ministers from various NWT departments. The rationale for that decision was to cut costs at NTPC and save $1 million per year. Well, it's now been seven years since that decision was made, and NTPC still has a board of directors consisting solely of deputy ministers, and it's unclear when an actual board of ordinary NWT residents will be restored.
Mr. Speaker, it is extremely important the board of directors for any corporation to be made up of a variety of individuals with unique backgrounds and skills that are relevant to the company they serve. It's also important for the board to be impartial and independent minded, which is not the case with the current board of deputy ministers at NTPC. I strongly hope to see a new board of directors appointed as soon as possible, and I hope when that finally happens that they will work together and will support the new president of NTPC.
Moreover, Mr. Speaker, I also want to reiterate my steadfast support for the expansion of the Talston hydro dam. This project has been a mandate item for the 19th Assembly, and I'm sure the work on that project will carry over into the 20th Assembly as well. The expansion of the Taltson will be instrumental for the Government of the Northwest Territories to achieve our emission targets within our 2030 Energy Strategy. I know there are some in this House who oppose this project, but I consider it an essential piece of infrastructure that will benefit the people of the NWT for the long term. Overall, Mr. Speaker, I hope to see our government move forward very soon with removing the current NTPC board of directors and replacing them with a group of people that are more representative of the diverse people of the NWT. I remain optimistic that the future members of the board will provide good direction and fresh ideas for NTPC to consider in the years ahead, and I'm sure the new NTPC president would also welcome a new board of directors as he leads the power corp towards achieving all the energyrelated mandate items that we created in this Assembly. I will have questions for the Minister responsible for NTPC Power Corp later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Members' statements. Member for Hay River South.
