Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Deputy Premier.
The establishment policy for the new Department of Environment and Climate Change came into effect on April 1st, 2023. Can the Deputy Premier tell us whether this government acknowledges that the current climate emergency is the result of human activities and explain why that doesn't appear in the policy? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Deputy Premier.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories Climate Change Strategic Framework clearly acknowledges that the climate change is linked to human activities. The definition of climate change in the establishment policy is consistent with how climate change is defined in the Climate Change Strategic Framework, and its broadly accepted definition as well, Mr. Speaker. The establishment policy is intended to be a high level overarching document that describes the work of the department. And it's important to note that the new department specifically has climate change in its name to reflect the significance of climate change action to the department and the GNWT.
Mr. Speaker, I do want to note that the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment reviewed the draft establishment policy and provided feedback in February. Mr. Speaker, concerns about the definition of climate change were not raised at that time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. I can I'm raising that concern right now, and it's not in the definition, but let's move on to the next question.
Nowhere in the establishment policy is it acknowledged or recognized that climate change in the NWT is a crisis or an emergency. And I will tell the Minister this was raised by standing committee. So can the Deputy Premier tell us whether this government considers climate change a crisis or an emergency for the Northwest Territories? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Climate change represents serious and urgent challenges for the Northwest Territories, and the GNWT takes climate change action very seriously. Mr. Speaker, like look at us now, we're dealing with wildfires and floods so I mean, this is very real to us. The Climate Change Strategic Framework, as well as the energy strategy and their associated action plans, are guiding the GNWT's commitment to address climate change and its impact.
The Legislative Assembly has advanced a number of climate change related mandate items, including ensuring that all Executive Council and Financial Management Board decisions consider the context of climate change within all of their decisions.
As I noted, Mr. Speaker, adding climate change to the name of the new environment and climate change department demonstrates the importance this government places on climate change action. Mr. Speaker, the government and Premier Cochrane take climate change and impacts being felt in the North seriously. Like I said, she has spoken at length and in great detail at recent events, particularly to a national audience, about the severity of climate change in the North as well as some of the impacts felt by some of the Northwest Territories residents as well as our communities. This message is one that she is very passionate about, about trying to alert other Canadians the realities of climate change.
Mr. Speaker, I was at one of the events where the Honourable Premier Cochrane had spoken about that, you know, climate change is more active in the North. It is. I mean, we're seeing it on a yearly basis. So I mean, this is a message that this government is doing to ensure that we are getting the message out. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Deputy Premier for that. I didn't hear the word crisis or emergency. I heard serious, but I didn't hear the right words. So I'm going to try it a different way, Mr. Speaker.
I mentioned in my statement that I've only ever heard one senior person in this government ever use the word crisis or emergency next to the word climate. So can the Deputy Premier tell us whether the public service are allowed to call climate change a crisis or an emergency? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. There's no restrictions on public service related to the use of the term crisis or emergency. The way we communicate climate change to our residents is important and the terminology we use ultimately plays a role in shaping public discussions. The GNWT uses climate change generally in our communications because it is commonly accepted and understood by residents.
Mr. Speaker, we recognize climate change is a highly political issue. So are the conscience of using the terminology that we could be dismissed or polarized by individuals who are holding very different views. Ultimately, there are a variety of factors, including audience engagement, political sensitivity, that shapes how this government communicates about complex issues, including climate change. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Deputy Premier. Final supplementary. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. I just wish that the GNWT would get on board and, you know, join one of the 650 other Canadian jurisdictions that have made a climate emergency declaration, so. But in all the debate and public statements I've seen from this government around a carbon tax, I don't ever recall it being clearly linked or described as a tool to fight the climate emergency. So can the Deputy Premier confirm that the real purpose of the NWT carbon tax is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I stand here as Deputy Premier, as well as wearing several Minister roles, I also have the opportunity to be able to redirect this question to another Minister that's able to provide more information on climate change and more specifically to the carbon tax issue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to redirect to the Honourable Caroline Wawzonek. Thank you.
Thank you, Deputy Premier. Minister responsible for Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, I am quite happy to confirm while the carbon tax itself remains for us a commitment under the panCanadian framework of clean goals and climate change, that's the federalbased system and that's why we have to continue to adapt ours. In the online annual report that is put out by the Department of Finance on carbon tax, in the message from the Minister it does quite clearly, say from me, the carbon tax is intended to encourage carbon conservation and the substitution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
So, Mr. Speaker, that's quite clear. There's a number of other. I took the chance to have a quick look at Hansard just to make sure I'm being very clear. And it is important that people realize no one likes paying more taxes, no one likes the carbon tax, but there is a reason behind it. I want to find solutions that will reduce carbon taxes in the North because so that we have less reliance on fossil fuel use. That's the point of the carbon tax, is to get people off fossil fuels. And, Mr. Speaker, again, I realize we all know that that's difficult in the North but, nevertheless, on another occasion I had the chance to say we don't want to be on fossil fuels; it is not helping the climate. It's expensive. It's not the way of the future.
Fundamentally, this is what we need to do. So semantics or not, Mr. Speaker, we do need to find a pathway off of fossil fuels. And the last one, just to make sure that we're very clear, Mr. Speaker, I think it's when we had some federal Ministers visiting us here, we want them to see the lack of alternatives. If there's federal money that it can start to come here so we get off fossil fuels. We need to do that for climate change reasons. We need to do that for the cost reasons, and we need to do it because it's the right thing to do. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Tu NedheWiilideh.
