Kevin O'Reilly

Merci, Monsieur le President. I give notice that on Tuesday, October 29, 2019, I will move the following motion: now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, that the following Members be appointed to the Board of Management of this Assembly:

The honourable Frederick Blake, Jr., Member for Mackenzie Delta;

Mr. Jackie Jacobson, Member for Nunakput;

Ms. Caitlin Cleveland, Member for Kam Lake;

The honourable Diane Thom, Member for Inuvik Boot Lake; and

The honourable Paulie Chinna, Member for Sahtu.

And further, that the following Members be appointed to the Board of...

Merci, Monsieur le President. Yesterday the Minister said that this Whati transmission line is about displacing diesel and "potential economic development in that region, and we will have to build in some capacity." All I am asking, Mr. Speaker, is that our government be open and transparent about the purpose of the Whati transmission line. Is this transmission line the best option to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, who benefits, and does it deliver value for money? Can the Minister tell us whether there will be a contribution from Fortune Minerals, or is the Whati transmission line a subsidy...

I want to thank the Minister for that response. It's my understanding that the costs for some of those projects may actually go down with an all-weather road providing easier transportation. Can the Minister tell us whether there has been a comprehensive evaluation of energy options for the Tlicho communities that include mini-hydro, transmission lines from various sources, greenhouse gas reductions, and most importantly, perhaps, value for money?

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. In my statement earlier today I mentioned the difficult relations between our government and the NWT francophone community over education. Can the Minister tell me how many applications for admissions by non-rights holders she has received under the 2016 directive, and how many were approved? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Monsieur le President. [English translation not available.]

Mr. Speaker, I am going to save my reflections and thanks for the replies to the Commissioner's address a little later. I have spoken several times, though, in this House about the often strained relationship between the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and the NWT francophone community.

On October 16, 2016, the then-Minister said, "That's where we don't want to end up, is in the courthouse, and then have a court order against the government." Unfortunately, that is where this government has gone again on the...

Merci, Monsieur le President. I, too, will not be supporting this bill and the appropriation. We have had a great last day here, and I do appreciate the sentiments from everybody. We have accomplished a lot together, but I still need to do my job as an MLA.

In my view, the review of the capital budget was rushed. I wish that we had had more time to carefully consider it and go through it. I did note that there were, I think, opportunities for the Regular MLAs to get input into it, but that didn't happen. I would hope that that changes in the next Assembly, Mr. Speaker.

I know that this is the...

Merci, Monsieur le President. WHEREAS the proceedings of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories and all of its standing and special committees are conducted in accordance with the Rules of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories;

AND WHEREAS the current Rules of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories were adopted on May 27, 2015;

AND WHEREAS the current Rules of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories were considered by the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures, and recommendations for amendments were then referred to the caucus of...

Merci, Monsieur le President. It's not unusual for me to be a bit out of step with some of the other Members, here.

It has been my honour and privilege to serve the residents of Frame Lake, and indeed all the people of the Northwest Territories. It is an amazingly diverse riding. I've done my best to follow up on constituency matters, and hope to do the same in the 19th Assembly.

I need and want to acknowledge some people who have supported me, indeed all of us, while we've been here for the 18th Assembly. Most importantly, all of our families that loaned us to this great institution to make...

I want to thank the Minister for that information. Of course, we may be able to reduce or eliminate all the diesel for the three Tlicho communities for the same cost as building the line that the Minister put forward in the Infrastructure Acquisition Plan. Given that there hasn't been this evaluation of options, why are we proceeding with a transmission line?

Merci, Monsieur le President. Later today I will table information on costs of mini-hydro projects for the Tlicho communities of Whati, Gameti, and Wekweeti. I shared this information with the Minister of Infrastructure earlier today. These projects would allow each community to meet its energy needs, offset diesel for electricity, and could displace home heating oil while significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the cost of living. Is the Minister aware of these mini-hydro studies, and can he tell us whether the cost of these mini-hydro projects is comparable to the proposed Whati...