Bob Bromley

There was a brief program for a school nutrition coordinator to serve three school boards, funded under the Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative. Is this program still running or has this gone the way of other programs and, as the dodo bird, is extinct?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services and follow up on my Member’s statement. I looked at the Minister’s statement on Nutrition Month and I see a real focus of programs on obesity. Poor nutrition during the youngest years for people, though, is a likely reason for nutrition-related issues like obesity in older children and adults. Yet the Minister’s statement offers no programs that actually put nutritious food in the mouths of our youngest citizens. Why is that?

Thanks for those comments from the Minister. I appreciate all the work that is being done there and is underway. I’d like to confirm that the Minister’s portfolios are gathering the necessary data we’ll need, recognizing that the NWT is likely a bit different than the rest of the jurisdictions where this has been applied. So we’ll have to customize such a tool to make sure it benefits us to the greatest extent.

So is the Minister ensuring that all the data that will be needed to make good decisions is being collected? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize the well-known Dick Abernethy, a Member of the Weledeh riding and the father of my colleague Mr. Abernethy. I’d also like to recognize Weledeh constituent Ryan McCord, a well-known musician and known also for his fearless sky walking at great heights. Also, I’d like to recognize Della Green, the victims services coordinator. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The myths and facts of carbon taxation need some discussion. A recent roundtable on a carbon tax in the NWT sponsored by the partnership of Ecology North, Sustainable Prosperity and the GNWT and involving diverse representatives from across the Territory has contributed to that discussion.

First, why a tax? Well, first, climate change through carbon emissions is destroying our planet, as we heard from my colleague, especially the North, leading to high costs from cultural loss to loss of building foundations.

Second, we are at the mercy of rising and volatile oil prices...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will be supporting this amendment as well. I have to say it was almost unanimous, the input I heard people speaking very clearly to not try and define these sorts of activities, that abuse and cruelty was certainly not acceptable in any situation. I have to stress again that these were people from all walks of life and certainly included the most respected of Aboriginal leaders who represented the essence of tradition and traditional practices. Again, they spoke in a very clear way that helped me tremendously in discerning what is appropriate here and for which I am...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’d like to start by thanking the chair of the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure for guiding us through consultations on this proposed act. It’s been a huge one, as my colleague Mr. Yakeleya has mentioned. Much bigger than we had expected. I’ve appreciated his guidance and the assistance of our staff. As I believe our chair said, I was very impressed and thankful to all the people of the NWT who took time to participate in those consultations.

We had tremendous turnouts, tremendous and enthusiastic turnouts, passionate presentations, both at...

Thanks, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Darrell Beaulieu as well, a resident of Weledeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Finance. The Minister of Finance was complimented at last week’s public meeting on carbon taxation for being the Minister promoting discussion on this opportunity. Three MLAs and three Ministers attended the roundtable to get the facts and they are to be congratulated too. Participation from Finance and Environment and Natural Resources officials added to the discussion. With the Minister’s leadership, this discussion is well underway. Can the Minister say what the next steps will be in pursuing this work? Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, change is difficult, but a smart carbon tax will create the economic incentive to take action. Places that have acted have benefited. Like shopping bag fees, the hoopla has disappeared shortly after these changes have been implemented. Let’s get it done. Mahsi.