Michael Miltenberger

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Range Lake, that Bill 1, An Act to Amend the Petroleum Products Tax Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Thursday, October 29, 2009, I will move that Bill 2, Forgiveness of Debts Act, 2009-2010, be read for the first time. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the staff are already at work on this. We’ll make sure that we consult, as well, with the Housing Corporation, because they have a lot of units as well. So in the next number of weeks we intend to pull a package together and map out a work plan on how we want to get this implemented. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The government and this Legislature recognize climate change as one of the most important issues facing us. It has an impact on everything we’re trying to do as a government almost everywhere we look, whether it be with wildlife, with our communities, with transportation, with permafrost issues. Not only are we committed to reducing greenhouse gases, we are, in fact, spending tens of millions of dollars to put in infrastructure to actually reduce our greenhouse gases, as we speak, with biomass. We’re going to invest in wind, we’re going to invest in mini-hydro and all...

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled Supplementary Appropriation No. 2 (Operations Expenditures), 2009-2010. Thank you.

We assembled an interdepartmental working group to look at this. We hope that by later this year we will be able to come forward with a plan for next steps. Thank you.

I believe, looking at the press and having been travelling around, most of the options are being exercised that are available to people. What we have is two different perspectives on an issue, and that is the challenge, and the government-of-the-day, the federal government, is going to make its determination of what it sees in the country’s best interest in balancing all these factors.

While there’s many that may not agree, that’s going to be the responsibility that they have. For those of us that want them to do more, we will have to continue to press them and we have to acknowledge, I think...

We’re taking the approach of making sure in our own area and our own bailiwick that we are being as responsive and responsible as possible to try to deal with this issue, investing, as I indicated, the money that we are, trying to change how we do business, how we’re delivering hydro and energy, generating energy. We have had discussions with the federal government. We’ve indicated what we’re doing, as opposed to what they’re doing. The federal government will be, at the end of the day as they want to do, making up their own mind. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled, Supplementary Appropriation No. 3 (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2009-2010. Thank you.

Yes, Mr. Speaker.