Caroline Wawzonek

Yes, Mr. Speaker; absolutely, Mr. Speaker, access to quality, available, affordable, reliable, competitive, internet telecommunications, absolutely that increases economic reconciliation. Mr. Speaker, there's I could stop there but this is an opportunity I know there's times where our federal government counterparts are listening. I know they follow what we say. I hope the CRTC follows what we say here because that is an absolute truth. We're trying to do our part. We need to have private sector involved. We need the federal government to be involved. These are major investments, major...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, having more competition certainly is one way, traditionally and historically, that improves affordability in a marketplace. It does, of course, rely on there being the infrastructure to provide the options to the market and that is still an area where we are challenged here in the Northwest Territories. As far as the all that said, Mr. Speaker, this is exactly what we've been expressing at CRTC for some time, trying to balance between the fact that we need significant investments to support infrastructure in a marketplace that wouldn't necessarily have the...

Mr. Speaker, the digital economy is most certainly the way of the future right now in many respects; it's upon us. It provides tremendous opportunities, and I would like nothing better than to see some of the many small businesses, artisans, crafts multiple sectors could benefit from better access to the internet, tourism, tourism providers, so on and so forth. There are programs at BDIC with ADAPT to try to get businesses online. There hopefully now there's going to be the new subsidy that I mentioned earlier coming available for residents. So, again, I think and this is where the Member...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are indeed some guideline changes coming through the Department of EIA to support more clarity around the negotiated contracts policy but, really, the challenges here are, as I think the Member's pointing out, the negotiated contracts policy's right now being used in place of an Indigenous procurement policy to really look at how we are supporting and helping grow Indigenous businesses in the Northwest Territories. So the Indigenous procurement policy really is what is going to be the focal point here with guidelines, as I've mentioned nonetheless in...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think we're on a slightly different line right now than paying bills. But, Mr. Speaker, with respect to telecommunication services across highways, that, again, is one where all of Canada and all of rural and remote Canada struggles with this. I have certainly looked at many a map that shows the coverage for telecommunications. But we're not alone. And, in fact, northern parts of many provinces are in a more dire circumstances than what we are in terms of their demographics and populations that are affected. So as far as whether it would have prevented a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, Mr. Speaker, as I had previously said the work is well underway and will be delivered in the life of this Assembly. There will be a change to the definition. We're going to be getting rid of the need for a Schedule 3 and getting back to focusing on what the objectives of the BIP really are, which is around investment in the Northwest Territories, encouraging investment, encouraging business growth here in the Northwest Territories, and supporting businesses that support that objective. That definition, as I've said, so it is on its way. It will be here in the life...

Yes, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the minute there's another evacuation, all of the things start to happen again. The GNWT provides firstly, obviously, the cost of fighting the fire and, again, accommodations to all those who have been doing so tirelessly, 24/7 now for over a week. Mr. Speaker, we also will be providing again emergency transportation, emergency sheltering, emergency relief in terms of food, toiletries, some basic necessities. And perhaps what we now observed is that a lot of people don't want to come to Yellowknife. I appreciate that. We do now have also the community back the...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for the Sahtu, that Bill 84, An Act to Amend the Northwest Territories Business Development and Investment Corporation Act, be read for the second time.

This bill amends the Northwest Territories Business Development and Investment Corporation to

Change the name of the act to the Prosper NWT Act;

Continue the Northwest Territories Business Development and Investment Corporation as Prosper NWT;

Clarify when a corporation will be considered a subsidiary of Prosper NWT for the purposes of the act;

Provide the Board with the authority to modify...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't have as long of a history with Mr. Mercer. I was only elected this Assembly and I haven't been a Regular Member but that's kind of a point that I want to make. As Ministers, we don't interact with the Clerk's office as much; I wouldn't have necessarily had a long history, knowing all of the many achievements I've already heard about today. I'm sure there's others. I know others may speak to those others. I actually want to speak to some of the daytoday things, though, that I think are forgotten. They are forgotten by what happens with the public...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We'll certainly be carrying the message of the North forward as we do, as all my colleagues as Ministers do. We want to see the North prosper. We want to see businesses prosper. We want to have residents to have  be able to put food on their tables. In the context of the carbon tax, Mr. Speaker, I realize it creates a burden and it's creating a burden at a time where times are already tight, inflation is high, interests rates are high. We're all seeing it in the North. And we want ministers to come from Ottawa and actually see it themselves.

Mr. Speaker, I'm going...