Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I am not talking about the Ekati workers. I am talking about the businesses that are owed this money where the unsecured debt is. So I don't have the same access to the federal government that the Minister has. It seems like the answer is going to be go to Ottawa anyway, so will the Minister speak to her federal counterparts and tell them to pay this bill? Because someone's got to at the end of the day. Because if it goes sideways and that money isn't paid bout, then we are going to -- these northern companies that have done the work, that have employees that need...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On a similar topic, the $63 million in unsecured debt that the Burgundy and ACDC owned mining group owes northern suppliers, contractors, and Indigenous development corps, is unsecured, meaning no one can collect on it until the rest of the financial restructuring is done. That means Northerners and northern companies are holding the bag.

So how is the Minister of Finance working to support those companies? We've already seen the federal government step in and spend an extraordinary amount of money, so what are we doing to ensure that that $63 million is paid to...

Merci, Monsieur le President. I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Nunakput, that pursuant to Rule 9.5(5)(a), the Government of the Northwest Territories table a comprehensive response to this report, including all recommendations, within 120 days, or at the earliest opportunity subsequent to the passage of 120 days. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Nunakput, that the remainder of Committee Report 14-20(1) Standing Committee on Public Accounts: Report on the Review of the 2024-2025 Public Accounts, No. 2: Community Government Infrastructure Funding Arrangements, be deemed read and printed in Hansard in its entirety. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I understand that we have to think of the future, and we are planning for the future. We've got a lot of work to do there. I agree with that side of the House on this. But what I am talking about is this immediate problem. So the Minister surely has heard concerns from the business community, from the Aurora Group, I am sure, from others. I am speculating here. But can she report to the House those conversations she's had with businesses impacted by this creditor freeze and how she is responding to that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I spoke earlier, there's a $63 million bill that's come due. Many northern businesses are struggling with that loss of revenue. Will the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment provide zero interest loans to NWT businesses who are impacted by the Ekati creditor protection to secure their cash flows which will prevent further layoffs until there is a resolution of these court proceedings? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, to be clear, I support the mining industry. I think we all should be supporting the mining industry. It's not their fault this happened; it's the global market conditions. But what has happened is they owe Northerners a lot of money. So if the legal proceedings are not the avenue to do that, then what avenue does our government have? What tools do we have to support the businesses that are owed this? We've already seen 90 jobs leave Hay River and other parts of the Northwest Territories. We're going to see more if this money is not paid. So what are we going to do...

Merci, Monsieur le Presidente. [Translation] Merci, Mr. President. It is a pleasure to be back for our latest legislative. We will continue to work for the economy and the safety of the public. We'll continue to work on all the issues, but there's still no action from the leaders of the territory. There are now investments of several billions of dollars from the federal government, and they will come in the next year; therefore, we have to prepare. We have to prepare this generational change. We are not ready, Mr. Speaker, but I will talk about it later. For now, we have to examine immediate...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I am pleased to stand in support of this motion as a seconder, and I want to commend the mover for crafting a very comprehensive motion for consideration that is detailed and kind of hits every point that I think we've heard from the community on what we need to do to address these public safety concerns. And I think, unfortunately, far too often this issue of crime and public safety becomes a binary choice. You're either for the cops or you're against the cops or, you know, you understand root causes or you only care about surface causes. And I think there's a...

Merci, Monsieur le President. I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Nunakput that Committee Report 41-20(1), Standing Committee on Public Accounts: Report on the Review of the 2024-2025 Public Accounts, No. 2: Community Government Infrastructure Funding Arrangements, be received and adopted by the Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.