Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your committee has been considering Tabled Document 22-17(5), Northwest Territories Main Estimates 2014-2015, and would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. General comments. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Moving on with general comments, I have Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Again, moving with general comments, I have Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Bang on. I agree with you.

In my view, this government’s duplicitous free spending of its entire first installment of the resource revenues in this current budget is a clever maneuver to cover revenue loss, but sadly, it’s not so clear, from the Minister’s comments today, the need to find additional offset savings for the miscalculated taxation revenue.

That said, why is this Minister financing and not initiating a full court press of passive restraint initiatives in this current budget to find the much needed savings? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Does committee agree?

Thank you, Mr. Stewart. Moving on with general comments, I have Mr. Blake.

I appreciate the Minister for his contribution. One only has to look at some quick Internet searches to see all the worldwide initiatives and awareness programs around the reducing of our sugar intake. One such initiative, called Action on Sugar, aims to help people avoid hidden sugars and tackles awareness.

Given the call for obesity in the Northwest Territories, will this Minister commit to a concerted effort to reduce NWT sugar intake by mirroring a similar campaign made for the NWT? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. We’ll go to Minister McLeod.

I was hoping for a sweeter answer than that. I will challenge the Minister and his department to research this a little bit more thoroughly.

That said, can the Minister indicate, with the pending guidelines on sugar consumption coming soon from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, what is his department doing in preparation of this announcement? Thank you.