Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move the chair rise and report progress. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think the point that the Member is raising is fundamentally around the role of Members who are participating in committees such as this one to determine the merits of legislation in a detailed clause-by-clause review and proposed amendments, which is an inherent privilege of Members and an inherent role of the House in exercising its own independence, so the House is allowed to pursue its duties that are important for the passage of laws. To have outside interference either in the form of a consideration that has been raised by a third party that is, in fact...

Thank you kindly. Speaking to the motion, I think that there is, of course, a real need for independent regulators in any jurisdiction, but these annual reports are important for the public's right to know about what regulators have been doing. I know there has been some concern that a prescriptive list is somehow impinging on the independence of the regulator, but I don't think that's, in fact, true in this case. As the honourable Member for Frame Lake said, this is laying out the decision points that are already in existence in the act and ensuring that there is guidance in the issuance of...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Committee would like to consider Bill 37, An Act to Amend the Oil and Gas Operations Act; Committee Report 24-18(3), Standing Committee on Social Development Report on the Review of Bill 48, Post-Secondary Education Act; and Bill 48, Post-Secondary Education Act. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The federal government comes through with the gas tax funding; it comes through with additional money. This is not a federal issue. This is our issue. We created this formula, and we are not funding it. That is the issue here. This gap is entirely the responsibility of this government, no other government. I am sure the municipal governments respect what the Minister is bringing forward in support to get those federal dollars, but it's not enough. We need to plug it here, so has the Minister met with the newly elected mayor in council since the last election, and the NWTAC, and heard from them...

I thank the Minister. I think this House is well aware of the excellent work that has been done on the northern part of the territory, the fibre optic line and the future potential it has, but the southern part of the territory still has these issues; in particular, our capital of Yellowknife. Can the Minister bring the public up to date on what is known about the incidents on May the 8th, July the 13th, and August the 12th of this year where the fibre line was cut?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Although I support much of this bill, as Members of this House will recall, during the clause-by-clause review, I took issue with clause 7. I continue to stand opposed to that clause of the bill. Seeing as there is no way to modify it at this point and that the House has settled that question, I will be in support of this bill because the rest of it does very good things for the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that Committee Report 26-18(3): Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the Carbon Tax Bills, Bill 42: An Act to Amend the Petroleum Products Tax Act and Bill 43: An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act be received by the Assembly and moved into Committee of the Whole for further consideration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the Minister's earnest attempts to drive investment in this region, but I don't think that these instruments are working. We have heard directly from stakeholders that they are not working as intended. Going forward, they will work better, but there are still a lot of issues with even the revised forms. At least there is an expiry to the terms, but I am afraid that I am still unconvinced that the current state of affairs surrounding SDLs is the best approach to managing opportunities in our economy.

I wouldn't be encouraging any effort that would drive...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your Standing Committee on Government Operations is pleased to present its Report on the Review of the Carbon Tax Bills, Bill 42, An Act to Amend the Petroleum Products Tax Act, and Bill 43, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act, and commends it to the House.

The Standing Committee on Government Operations ("the committee") is pleased to report on its review of Bill 42, An Act to Amend the Petroleum Products Tax Act, and Bill 43, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act, collectively referred to as the carbon tax bills.

The carbon tax bills, sponsored by the Government of the...