Bob Bromley

Could I get the Minister to agree that it is now the lead, Public Works and Services is now the lead in our Energy Policy, as per their description, activity description and that this would be appropriate for them to take on?

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to check on that contract service, the slight increase over last year’s. I’m just wondering if there are details available for that. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate those comments. The one thing I very rarely hear and I don’t think I heard again, was working with industry, which was, in fact, where our biggest growing use of energy is happening, and we know that our Greenhouse Gas Strategy is absolutely useless in terms of providing guidance for them. We know that we’re doing pretty good internally, but we’re not doing very well with outreach. Of course, the biggest one is industry, which, as far as I can see, is getting nothing in terms of the requirements, guidelines, direction on how to be more efficient and switch...

Thank you, Madam Chair. The biggest increase in the budget for the Legislative Assembly is the compensation and benefits, $1 million roughly. Could I get just some explanation of what this is about? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a Page who’s a resident of Weledeh, Linnea Stephenson. I’d like to thank her for all her service to the House the past couple weeks, and also Jacob Schubert, who I don’t know whether he’s working today or not, but thanks to all of our Pages. Mahsi.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just referring to the Speaker’s notes here, I see we are taking advantage of some efficiencies. I’m happy to see our General Election costs are anticipated to be only slightly larger than four years ago.

The 11.5 percent increase is obviously quite a bit compared to the departments, but I know there could be some reasons for that. I see about $860,000 of that is for the office of the Chief Electoral Officer for the election, so that’s 40 percent of that. I’m just wondering if there are any comments on what the rest of that is.

One other thing. I appreciated the...

Thanks, Madam Chair. Just on that, and I appreciate that information, we want to be maximizing the benefits to the individuals in our communities who would be accessing this – I know the Minister supports that – for their own education, health and certainly economic development opportunities. As currently planned, are we using the best way of getting this service to each home in the communities that will be serviced by the fibre optic line? I understand that that is typically getting a fibre optic line right to the homes, but I don’t have the technical expertise to carry it beyond that. Has...

Getting ahead of myself, I guess. That’s all I had. Thanks.

I would just like to follow up on my colleague’s questions. My understanding is that industry’s use of the winter roads is a great cost to government and can really beat up the infrastructure. That has certainly been found in every jurisdiction. Is that the experience of this government?

I appreciate that. I think it’s a real opportunity for projects such as Lutselk’e and Whati who would provide both the power and the heating requirements for the community if it became affordable under the reduced fossil fuel prices we are enjoying currently.

Just on the Yellowknife liquefied natural gas plan feasibility study, this seems a bit bizarre to me, but again, I would ask the Minister perhaps include his earlier commitment to examine what the greenhouse gas emissions are for that liquid natural gas as part of that feasibility study. It would be a natural addition to that to make sure...