Michael Miltenberger

Mr. Speaker, reducing consumption and recycling waste products is a way for all of us to help reduce the impact we have on the environment. It means we use fewer natural resources, use less energy to make new products, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save money.

Individually, the people of the Northwest Territories can make positive choices to help reduce their impact on the environment, but they look to government to take initiative in developing programs to recover and recycle products and materials rather than put them into landfills. When given the opportunity, people willingly...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that Bill 21, Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures) 2009–2010, be read for the second time.

Mr. Speaker, this bill authorizes the Government of the Northwest Territories to make infrastructure expenditures for the 2009–2010 fiscal year.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled Beverage Container Program Annual Report 2007–2008. Thank you.

Document 112-16(2), Beverage Container Program Annual Report 2007–2008, tabled.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Deh Cho, that Bill 17, Forgiveness of Debts Act, 2008–2009, be read for the third time.

We place as a department and as a government a very high priority on staff training and educational opportunities for all of our staff. We are working very closely with the colleges. There are also a lot of other courses, both within the government and outside of government, that our staff can benefit from. The Member has made an assertion here that there is an unfair distribution. I will ask the department to provide me with training that was not accessed by the staff in the Inuvik region over the last year or so to see what, in fact, the information tells us and if there are any inequities...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Range Lake, that Bill 14, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act, be read for the third time.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The trend and ongoing commitment of the government for Environment and Natural Resources is to make sure that our offices are adequately provided for, that staff have equipment, that staff are given training, that we hire local whenever possible. The Member has raised some concerns. It occurred in his constituency in Fort McPherson in regard to the equipment and some of the staffing issues. We’ve already had meetings, as I’ve indicated to the Member, and we’re going to make sure that those issues that have been identified will be remedied.

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

We have some consumer protection authority in terms of the issue of regulating fuel prices. It’s not an area we are involved in. We do have the ability to set taxes on motive and non-motive fuel, but in terms of issuing instructions to the marketplace and putting in those types of price controls, it’s not an area we are involved in.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have with me Margaret Melhorn, deputy minister of Finance, FMB, and Ms. Louise Lavoie, assistant comptroller general, Finance, FMB.