Rylund Johnson

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I received a letter from the mayor saying that is not the case and that they have not included this money in their current budgets. Is that just perhaps because it actually has to be passed by the Legislature, or can I just confirm that our municipalities have this money and I am mistaken, then? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I give notice that on Thursday, November 5, 2020, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when the House adjourns on Thursday, November 5, 2020, it shall be adjourned until Wednesday, February 3, 2021; and further, that at any time prior to February 3, 2021, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, or at a...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I just would like to rise in support of this bill. I am sure my colleague, Mr. Simpson, is happy to see that this bill will pass first reading today and we will, ultimately, I believe, lower the small business tax rate. I really think the backbone of our NWT economy in recovery must be our small business. As we enter into a world and compete in a world where capital increasingly gets held in the hands of large businesses, I think we as government have to do everything we can to support our small businesses. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I'd like to move the motion for the establishment of a special committee on reconciliation and Indigenous affairs.

WHEREAS the Members of the 19th Legislative Assembly agreed upon a priority to settle and implement treaty, land, resources, and self-government agreements;

AND WHEREAS the Members of the 19th Legislative Assembly also agreed upon a priority to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;

AND WHEREAS the Members of the 19th Legislative Assembly believe that a special committee could seek and encourage discussions and...

Yes. The idea of a roaming journeyperson is really an idea that excites me, and I recognize that some of the theory can be moved online. At the end of the day, there needs to be a practical, hands-on, in-person portion to getting any apprenticeship. Another area I would like to see the Minister focus on is: we employ a number of tradespeople in the NWT. I know they often try to get apprentice people, but I really think some more effort can be done in this area. Is the Minister of ECE willing to work with his colleagues in infrastructure, Housing Corporation, other departments that have...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I was glad to see the release of the Aurora College transformation to a polytech that had a strong focus on trades and technology. That document said many of the right things but did not go as far as saying some of the specifics I would like to see. Specifically, I would like to see us build an NWT trades curriculum built and designed for the North. My question is for the Minister responsible for Aurora College. Can we develop a northern-oriented trades curriculum? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

I am glad to hear all of those initiatives. I believe the money we invest through the Arctic Energy Alliance is some of the best dollars we have out there in regard to our response to climate change. I am also glad to hear that we're on track for some of the short-term goals in this section. However, the long-term goals set out in this section are really how we're going to get and meet this target by 2030. Can I have an update of how those long-term goals are and a commitment that we are on track to meet this target?

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Our 2030 Energy Strategy is one of the key documents in making sure that our government is a leader in climate change. Specifically, one of my favourite sections is Section 4 of that strategy, which commits us to increasing our share of renewable energy used for community heat to 40 percent by 2030, essentially getting more and more of our homes and communities off diesel. Can I have an update on this section, Madam Speaker, from the Minister of Infrastructure?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. What we are recommending here is the wording "access by design" because that is the wording the GNWT uses. This is really about open and transparent government. It's about proactive disclosure. I would like to thank my colleague from Frame Lake. He asked a number of questions of the Minister of Justice today about proactive disclosure. This recommendation has long come from the Information and Privacy Commissioner, largely with a lens that this ultimately saves us time and resources, saves our media headache; it saves people in departments hassles. I don't know how often...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm glad to see you in that seat today. I'd just like to speak in support of this motion. The GNWT Department of Infrastructure on our good building practices has done a lot of great work in including disability and accessibility standards. However, that work we're very much leaders on has not made it into the private sector. Presently, there is a gap in this area. There is the national building code. Builders go out, they build something, and they think it's compliant with human rights law, and it's not. That can cause a lot of frustration for people who are building...