Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't know if everyone is even aware in this House, but the tariffs have been paused until April 2nd. So this whiplash is, I think, driving everyone nuts. The goalposts keep moving, and I think our entire nation's becoming traumatized. And this is exactly the kind of thing that our new-found enemies, who used to be our allies, want from us. So I'd like to -- I'm sure the Premier has been, as he has been through this whole time, in contact with the Prime Minister, Northerners are looking to their government for stability at a time when it's -- chaos is the only word I can think to describe it. Can the Premier provide an update to this House on Canada's tariff response. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Mr. Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I understand from the news that President Trump has put a pause on majority of tariffs that he was imposing on Canada, a pause on all the tariffs on the goods that are -- that fall under the Canada, US, and Mexico Agreement. I understand also from the news that the Prime Minister has said that the retaliatory tariffs will remain despite that pause because the goal is to end all tariffs and the threats of tariffs. And so I know I don't want to be bouncing back and forth, giving different direction to departments, depending on what the President says on a given day, and so from my understanding the Government of Canada is staying the course. But this news broke as we were coming down into the House, I believe, and so I haven't had an official update as of yet. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Premier just confirm that the measures he's already laid out - taking the American products out of liquor stores, the tearing up of the Starlink contracts, and the other measures he's already laid out to date - are those going to be held in force -- are those going to be maintained? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not tearing up contracts. We're ensuring that as we move forward and contracts end and where we can get out of contracts at no cost to the people of the territory and at no -- and in a way that doesn't impact the safety of residents or staff, that we're doing that. So all of that said, the direction that has been given to departments has not changed. I don't want to flip flop back and forth depending on what the news of the day is, and so the direction remains the same. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Premier. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to hear that. Mr. Speaker, the President, also in his recent address to both chambers of congress -- both Houses of Congress said that the American government would initiate retaliatory tariffs I believe on April 4th. So is there any -- does this situation relate to -- or do our counter-tariffs relate to that declaration? I don't know if there's been an update since then either. I know it's -- again, it is a very fluid situation. If the Premier doesn't have a clear update, that's fine, but obviously this is very concerning for my constituents and for all of us here in the Northwest Territories and Canada. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, I don't have an update for the House on that. And, you know, I want to ensure that people understand that, you know, despite the actions of, you know, an individual in the United States, whether -- despite the fact that person might be the President, that, as a country, we remain steadfast in our unity and our approach to dealing with this situation. And, you know, people might be shaken by the removal of the tariffs today and the removal of some tariffs yesterday and the addition of other tariffs. But we're not shaken, Mr. Speaker. This is what we're in for the next four years. We need to realize that. We need to stay the course and ensure that we're doing what we can to further insulate our economy, territorially and nationally, from the whims of the American president while moving forward and supporting each other. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Oral questions. Member from the Deh Cho.
