R.J. Simpson

You can be forgiven, Mr. Speaker. We've only worked together five years, come on.

Or Mr. Chair, I apologize. I'm just joking, of course. That's what happens. I get a little cheeky, and I get my comeuppance.

I just have a question, actually, and I know that it's not question period, we can't refer to questions here. But "as acquired" are the last two words here, and I was wondering what that means, "supply information as required." Is it referring to the Minister -- that witnesses may be there as required or that information may be supplied as required? I'd just like some clarity on this. Thanks.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Friday, February 7th, 2025, I will be present Bill 18, An Act to Amend the Partnership and Business Names Act, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, of course, revenue royalties are under the Minister of ITI so I can't speak to that. My primary concern is getting some investment into the territory and getting some development and getting people working and, of course, doing it in a sustainable way. That's one thing that we always have to balance in the Northwest Territories. The people of the Northwest Territories, they still live on the land. They still hunt, they still fish, they still trap, and many communities supplement their incomes and their food through those methods. So while we have that consideration...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If the Member wants to put a framework around this amorphous idea of pushing for billion-dollar opportunities, I'd be happy to have a look at that and consider how we can use that, but I'm not going to spearhead the Member's initiative. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said earlier, the eyes of the world are on the North now and the discussions about Arctic security, defence, have taken up an inordinate amount of my time. I can say I did not expect this when I became Premier of the Northwest Territories I'd be having these national discussions and international discussions, but the fact is we are. And so what I can do from my end as a politician is talk to the politicians who are making decisions about what we need for infrastructure. And so we have provided detailed information to the federal government about the types of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's a decision of the federal government, and the federal government has said everything's on the table. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is a committee in Canada that is made up of all 13 provinces and territories as well as the federal government. That's the committee on internal trade. Each year a different jurisdiction chairs that committee. Starting in 2025, the NWT is the chair of the committee on internal trade. Last week, Minister Cleveland called an emergency meeting of the committee. They met on Friday, and they brought forward recommendations. They're very high-level recommendations, but they speak to many of the things the Member is talking about. We are looking to reduce internal trade...

Mr. Speaker, a year ago, I delivered the first Sessional Statement of the 20th Legislative Assembly. We had not yet established our collective priorities, but we had begun to establish the relationship essential to the work of consensus government, which continue to shape our efforts today.

When I presented my candidacy for Premier, I spoke to a vision of a thriving and prosperous NWT, 50 years in the future, built through partnership and collaborative governance with Indigenous governments. This is the foundation of my hope and of the optimism and positivity I strive to bring to the Office of...

Thank you, Mr. Chair, for using your discretion, giving me another chance. I guess I was just -- it just, it seems redundant, and so I was wondering if there was something that I was missing. But maybe the chair wants to address that in closing comments on this item. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just want to make clear that Cabinet doesn't have a position on this. All the Cabinet Ministers may vote the same way but there is no Cabinet position; this is a -- these are motions about how this House functions, and Members are allowed to vote as they please. We all have different experiences, and it's all very procedural.

My issue with this motion is that, you know, I've -- like one of the previous speakers, I've been a Regular Member, I've been a chair of Committee of the Whole, I've been a Minister, and so I have some perspective on things. And my concern about...