Bob Bromley

Thank you, Madam Chair. I noticed that the expenditures on energy management, which is the backbone of climate change that my colleague was referencing here earlier, has been substantially reduced by greater than 50 percent. Unfortunately, it’s more than a match to 75 percent cut in the ITI energy work. I noticed later on there’s a $300,000 reduction in forestry resources, which is an important element of the Biomass Strategy and so on. Some examples here, the biomass energy has been cut from $1.55 million to $100,000, then energy from $400,000 to zero, Business Support Program, renewable...

Thank you, Madam Chair. My constituency includes a First Nation that has not yet resolved their land claim issues and their land claim. I’m wondering why we are discontinuing the Interim Resource Management Assistance Program agreement, about $305,000 the last couple of fiscal years. I know that the Yellowknives Dene certainly valued that program and I’m wondering if I can get an update on what the thinking is there. Perhaps that’s a federal program that was sunsetted or something, but maybe I can get an update on that.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I would just like to maybe ask some questions or respond a little bit to the opening remarks of the Minister. This department has reduced its budget. I am concerned about that. As the Minister knows, and I see he’s referred to it as a 2.6 or $1.8 million reduction. The actual reduction from dollars spent last year was about a $9 million reduction or about 12 or 15 percent. I guess my first question to the Minister would be: Were those additional costs, the ephemeral costs that we don’t expect and what were they?

The Minister is continuing to develop the water programs...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is time for this government to get serious about renewable energy and fully realize the potential to reduce our costs and support our people and businesses in a responsible way. This motion is about just that.

In the absence of real action, energy costs will go on soaring until we get down to it. We now have four years of experience with energy initiatives from the 16th Assembly. We have made many internal gains and learned many lessons about how to be more effective with energy expenditure. Now it is time to fund and apply this knowledge to the full benefit of our...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, thanks to the Minister. I’m already getting suggestions from my colleagues here and one suggestion is airports. I know some municipalities take advantage of that. I know the GNWT does here and there. That might be a place to also include. When it does come down to it, without putting holes in the wall or anything, where there happens to be vacant space I see nothing wrong with making space available to artists for the display of performances and so on. Perhaps the Minister could include that in his consideration.

I appreciate the Minister’s commitment there. To some degree I think, I don’t know, the Minister doesn’t know. I don’t know that anybody in the House knows. That’s a reflection of the situation. I think we owe it to our people, our artists, to be on top of that and get a policy in place. Would this Minister commit to, if we don’t have a policy that he can share with us, if he would commit to looking into this and getting a policy in place?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Conversion of our energy systems to renewables supports development of a home-grown industry, frees our people from unpredictable and rising fuel costs and cuts greenhouse gas emissions. It provides major economic and employment opportunities at the community level. To pursue those benefits, we need a detailed understanding of the supply of forest resources and their sustainable use.

The Biomass Strategy calls for work with communities to assess the potential use of biomass energy to encourage a stable and economic supply of NWT pellets in our communities, to build a...

Thanks to the Minister for that. That’s good news. I’m wondering, I’m not clear, the corporate management policy and strategic planning division, is that the division that’s responsible for the Land Use and Sustainability Framework, developing that?

Thank you, Madam Chair. My question is on the hunting and fishing licences, the decrease in revenue there of $50,000. That’s obviously a lot of licences. I understand that I would expect licence fees to have dropped when we stopped caribou hunting, but I’m wondering what this estimated decrease in revenue is caused by. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to all who offered their comments and perspectives here.

Mr. Speaker, this Assembly did come out with some understanding and Cabinet developed a direction on that basis. Personally, I know many of my colleagues think that Cabinet has done a very good job in bringing many aspects of this budget forward, but they are not infallible and Members on this side of the House are moved to influence about half a percent of the budget. If some of this is an increase, so be it, but I assure the Minister and all that we’re not proposing this lightly and we do regard this...