Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the NWT Wind Energy Conference opens today in Tuktoyaktuk. In recognition of this event, I want to talk about renewable energy and what it can mean to the Northwest Territories.

Wind energy is about one form of renewable energy, which includes hydro, solar, ground source heat, and biomass such as wood or peat. Renewable energy is carbon neutral; that is, it produces very few greenhouse gas emissions which cause climate change. Almost all our greenhouse gas emissions come from fossil fuel energy such as oil, gas or coal. Renewable energy is also a form of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it’s this concern about costs and lack of full cost accounting that has brought us to this situation where we now have a changing climate leading to the death of millions of people around the world annually, real challenges to our food, while fossil fuel costs are soaring and so on. We need to get ahead of the game. Just on the ITI’s reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, on your recent trip to China, did the department cover carbon offset costs of that travel; something you can do with a click of a button and a fairly minor cost as a way of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a constituent, Mr. Dick Abernethy, who also happens to be the father of my colleague Mr. Glen Abernethy here from Great Slave.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is all for the Minister of ITI, I believe, Bob McLeod. The Minister responsible for climate change, perhaps.

---Laughter

I understand the Minister attended a federal/provincial/territorial Ministers' meeting recently where the need to respond to climate change was discussed as a priority and infrastructure in particular was discussed. How will the Minister ensure that infrastructure related to ITI and developed in the North will address the concerns of climate change? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for maximum benefits here, our government and the voluntary sector must work closely together, more closely than we have in the past. We must ensure a clear line of communication between ourselves and our partners at the decision-making level. We must ensure government policy and support is developed together with those who can draw on much front-line experience. Importantly, Mr. Speaker, we must ensure government-wide coordination and integration in implementation of the Volunteer Support Initiative and in all of our dealings with the voluntary sector...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Was it recognized that building infrastructure is an important opportunity to also mitigate climate change? That is, reduce the causes of climate change at the same time as adapting to it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a constituent who was not able to attend our First Session in October and also happens to be my lovely wife, Marianne Bromley.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak to government support for the volunteer sector. We know that there are many demands on government resources and that we need to stretch those resources to meet as many of those demands as we can while still fully meeting all of our goals. There are essential services that must be delivered effectively and efficiently and government cannot do it all. These services affect the well-being of all citizens in the NWT, services that deal with homelessness and poverty, substance abuse, youth justice, environmental education and protection...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m very happy to hear that. On the issue of transportation, of course, a great majority of our greenhouse gas emissions are from transportation. Will the Minister commit to ensuring that all of the infrastructure that your departments have a hand in developing will both focus on the mitigation as well as the adaptation? Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to begin with a quote from the Earth Charter, issued in 2000:

“We stand at a critical moment in the earth’s history, a time when humanity must choose its future. As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future at once holds great peril and great promise. To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one earth community with a common destiny. We must join together to bring forth a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature...