Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I spoke in the House about impacts on carbon tax. Carbon tax is going to increase the cost of living in the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker, in my riding by 17 percent on heating fuel, and every year after is four cents added on to that. Mr. Speaker, how are we going to tax people when we're already stretched to the limit to put food on the table and have nothing to give? Why are the people who are living in the highest Arctic communities, who are most impacted by climate change, having to pay climate change tax? On top of all this, now we have to pay more. Already we pay more, two cents a litre on heating fuel, which is about $2.24 a litre for heating fuel in the community already, and it's going to get stretched, impacted, more impact to the people, more impact to private homeowners. Families could barely afford to buy food, Mr. Speaker, in the highest food prices across the food index in the NWT. Over 50 percent Nunakput residents are worried about having enough money to pay for food to put on the table for their families, Mr. Speaker. Why we have to hunt to put food on table. It's not only our culture, it's a way of life. Hunting alleviates the pressure on putting expensive food on the table when we subsistence hunters. Price food bills, but it's so expensive the cost of gas. It's dangerous on changing climate. Our power bills in the communities continue to go up as well. We pay some of the highest rates in the power. In Sachs Harbour, it's $2.20 a kilowatt. And the housing the government provides our people through public housing are paperthin walls, cracks in the doors, walls that bring snow right through our homes, floors that have to have blankets put down to save energy and to keep their feet warm in the unit.
Mr. Speaker, people in my riding have very little employment opportunities. Nunakput families earn an average $50,000 less than the NWT family. It's almost 20 percent of income assistance; 10 percent of families make less than $30,000. There's an offshore moratorium and on shore resource development dragging on. There's no way out to get ahead, Mr. Speaker. There's no way to pay the bills the residents already have now that they're going to be taxed more.
Mr. Speaker, I oppose Bill 60. I want to kill that bill. It's pretty simple. Can't tax people who have nothing to give. Over the next two weeks, I encourage everyone in the communities to rally against, talk to their MLAs, and encourage them to talk to their MLAs in regards to Bill 60 and why are they going to support to it if they're going to support it, and please don't support Bill 60. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Members' statements. Member for Tu NedheWiilideh.
