Kevin O'Reilly

Merci, Monsieur le President. Thanks to the Minister. I look forward to seeing this draft action plan.

The carbon tax plan released by the Minister in July does not contain any information or analysis of other scenarios or approaches, including the federal backstop. The federal government just announced how funds will be redistributed in jurisdictions that do not have a federally approved scheme. It is not clear to me whether our government has actually done any analysis on the federal backstop.

Can the Minister explain whether the work on an NWT carbon tax considered other scenarios, including...

Thanks to the Minister for that. I would be interested in seeing the written confirmation about how the feds have agreed to our approach.

The Minister released a plan for carbon tax in July. That approach would see large emitters getting all of the taxes back. It may involve some spending on greenhouse gas reduction measures, but while individuals, families, and small businesses will get some of the carbon tax back, the remaining amount is what will be used to subsidize GNWT investments into the Energy Strategy, including Taltson Hydro Expansion.

Can the Minister explain why large industrial...

A real carbon pricing system for the NWT can help us in fighting the climate change emergency that faces us.

We must pursue legislative and policy changes to ensure climate change leadership and an energy strategy built on renewables that doesn't masquerade as an infrastructure funding demand. As other regular Members have indicated, I cannot support Cabinet's Carbon Tax and Climate Change Plan. The federal government's back-stop approach on carbon pricing is starting to look a lot better. Masi, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Maybe I'm mistaken here, but I understood that the funding review was done, when it was done, part of it was an O and M issue or problem, part of it was also a capital deficit. Am I hearing, then, that the Minister says that the document we are going to get in February is really only going to deal with the O and M side; it's not going to deal with the capital, the infrastructure deficit? Thanks, Mr. Chair. For our local governments. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. That's interesting. Is the gap, the funding gap, actually recalculated on an annual basis? Has it ever been recalculated? Is there a cycle for that? Can someone tell me whether it's actually recalculated? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I want to follow up on the municipal funding gap review that was done jointly between MACA and NWTAC some time ago. One of the commitments in our mandate reads, "We will develop a strategy to close the gap in funding levels to meet municipal core needs." Can the Minister tell us when that strategy is going to be ready and made available to the Regular MLAs and the public? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Well, if I wasn't confused before, in any event, the Minister indicated that probably in the neighbourhood of $100 million on a capital budget of maybe $230 million of our own money. I don't have a calculator. That's 40 percent. It's carry-overs from previous years. That's a very significant amount of money that's being carried over. I appreciate that the Minister has said that he's going to monitor this more carefully. I hope that he can find a way to report that, as well, to us as Regular MLAs.

In the tracking that's done, it's going to be very important to understand...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I'm not sure I have nine minutes of questions, but I like the idea of wrenches. If the Minister has done those calculations, is that something that can be shared with the public? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that Bill 24, An Act to Amend the Elections and Plebiscites Act, be read for the first time. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks to the Minister for confirming that the large emitters are not going to be contributing towards energy investments for communities and households.

Regular MLAs and the public have been waiting patiently for the costed action plan for the Climate Change Strategic Framework, and that is a key part of our climate change plan. That includes carbon pricing. We have had an action plan for the Energy Strategy since May. Can the Minister tell us when the Regular MLAs and the public will get a costed action plan for the Climate Change Strategic Framework and why this is so out of sync with the...