Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned in my Member's statement, and in speaking with firefighters in Yellowknife, there is a huge cost to firefighter training in the Northwest Territories because we don't have agreements with certification bodies that exist in larger jurisdictions. Now, Nunavut, a couple of years ago, entered into one of these agreements. Their costs have gone from, you know, $700 a training session to $75. This is something our fire marshal can do. Can the Minister commit to lowering the cost of fire training -- of training for firefighters in the Northwest Territories...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, under Rule or 3.2(3), the Minister is alleging that Members during this debate have attacked the integrity of the public service in handling issues, and I do not recall anyone saying that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I know we're -- thank you, Mr. Chair. I know we're in a rush to get to another very important piece of this committee's work, but we do need to -- this is a House of debate, and we should be debating things.

So I never have been a fan of our political process here, and I've never seen a concurrence motion been brought forward by the government House Leader, the Premier, the Finance Minister, any Member of Cabinet before. I think that's significant. And I just spoke to my honourable friend next to me, who has served a number of years more than I have, and neither he can...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think this motion speaks for itself, but I will add some facts to it.

When the NTHSSA, the health authority, was first established in 2016, it inherited an accumulated deficit of $51 million. In 2020, that deficit had grown to $94 million. As of March 31st, 2024, this year, the accumulated deficit stands at $272.9 million. Mr. Speaker, from that escalation, from the amalgamation of the authorities to now, we are on an ever increasing track of financially unsustainable model of health care delivery in the Northwest Territories to the point where our own...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know who's not under a borrowing limit? Private companies like ATCO and other private power producers that operate in southern jurisdictions who could be willing partners in helping solve these challenges. Why are we continuing to support the public corporation that's not lowering costs, that's not transitioning us to clean energy, and is only making things more expensive for Northerners? Have we considered privatization? Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'm interested in pursuing those policy changes because we need to be able to get more renewables into these systems. We need to increase our resiliency. So the Minister spoke about a lot of nice things. We know the timeline of what's in this capital budget. What about those policy changes, when are we going to start working on those? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister work with or make a commitment to follow up with the Yellowknife fire department and work with them to improve access and costs to training? They're the real experts in this area. They brought these concerns to me and they can speak to this far better than I can. So will the Minister commit to working with our local fire chief here in the capital? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I knew this was the right Minister to talk to, not only because it's his portfolio but it's his passion. So after 30 years, I'm glad he's going to bring that energy to the role, Mr. Speaker. What fire service training is currently offered through the Office of the Fire Marshal? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, once again, it's that time of year to start cranking up our heaters and plugging in our vehicles as the temperatures increasingly drop overnight. Yes, we are all accustomed to winter seasons, but what many of us are unprepared for is ba winter season in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis.

Keeping homes warm is increasingly becoming a struggle for too many -- far too many Northerners who can't afford the rising costs of heating fuel. And this can only get worse as economic opportunities dry up. An unsurprising consequence of this drop in a standard of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to rise in support of this piece of legislation. Bill 15 represents a very important relationship that this government has with First Nations and Indigenous governments across the territory. This bill will establish trust that will allow around half a billion of dollars of money to flow into the Northwest Territories for a whole bunch of purposes around conservation, Indigenous guardian programs, economic development, and the list does go on; it's quite exhaustive. And I think one other thing that's very remarkable is the speed at which the...