Kieron Testart

Mr. Speaker, we certainly have our work cut out for us here in this chamber. From mine closures to the housing crisis, Arctic sovereignty to Indigenous reconciliation, there is no shortage of complicated issues we've been elected to find solutions for. Today, however, I want to speak about a problem that is much simpler to understand but just as serious to the safety and well-being of the public - crosswalks and intersections.

The problem is clear-cut. Motorists are going to drive, pedestrians are going to walk, and children are often going to be a little less predictable when they appear. Yet...

So $11 million is not a lot in the grand scheme of things unless you're $3.2 million away from your debt ceiling. So is the government prepared to lose this revenue -- how will this impact the DAT, the fiscal responsibility policy, the sustainability policy? Like, have we factored in this very likely scenario into our financial projections? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

So just to confirm, the consumer carbon tax is worth $11 million to this government? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. So the increase then -- it sounds like the increase is solely due to the increased cost per ton, is that correct? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The carbon tax offsets have doubled in these estimates from the revised estimates. Can the Minister explain why that is. Thank you.

There's a lot of lakes over here. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I'd like to talk about the carbon tax offsets, the cost of living, the COLO, the cost of living tax credit.

The last budget process, there was a commitment to revenue neutral carbon pricing regime. We do not see detailed itemization on how this revenue's reallocated to be revenue neutral which is something that -- was a commitment last time. Why wasn't it -- why can't we find that in the main estimates, a revenue neutral carbon tax? Thank you.

Thank you. No, I appreciate that. Again, I think these are discussions we should be having, and I'm glad we're having them. Brainstorming's probably not what I'm interested in doing on the floor either, but I think we have enough room here to move forward and find ways to work at either the standing committee level or individually as a Member, so I will leave it for that. But thank you for the Minister and her witnesses' time. Nothing further.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister work with day home operators through -- the department knows who they all are if they're registered day home operators -- to understand this concern more? Because it seems like there's a disconnect between the department and these operators. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, I would be happy to talk tax policy with the Minister of Finance. I am a big fan of how we can find ways to change our tax policy to incentivize investment in the Northwest Territories, to grow the financial services sector, and to keep people in the North. So if she's willing to have that conversation -- I mean, I think -- let me make it a direct question.

Is the Minister willing to look at this as part of her sustainability efforts and her department's efforts to raise revenue -- or sorry, well -- yeah, maybe -- well, yeah, let's say, like, as part of revenue...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I mean, that's a lot to cram into two days but it is better news than they've had before, so I look forward to speaking to them and see if that works.

The other thing that's not being provided is inclusive childcare for kids with special needs and learning disabilities. There's no funding available to them. I've spoken to the Minister about the SKIP program; it doesn't apply to day homes. They can't hire their own staff. They're sole operators. So how are we providing care for inclusive early childcare and education for these kids? Because they need it. They have doctors...