Kieron Testart

Thank you. I think the assumption from the public is that Ministers talk to each other, so what is the arrangement if a Minister gets a concern from an interest group that's not directly related to their portfolio, do they do nothing and wait for their colleague to jump in the game, or how does that work on the Cabinet side? I'm sorry; I'm not familiar. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's a helpful thing if we could build that into our priorities. What is the Minister doing to ensure we attract the right kind of investment from friendly sources in the United States and Europe? Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And obviously foreign affairs or global affairs is a federal responsibility, but it seems that given the interest in these minerals, and all critical minerals, that we ought to consider this issue. So is the Minister looking into how we can assess investment and maybe work with Ottawa behind the scenes on these kind of investments and whether or not they are in the best interests of Northerners. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as my friend from the Sahtu has said, critical minerals are the future of the minerals industry, not just in Northwest Territories but in the entire world. And in that mix, rare earth minerals are vital to the modern digital economy because they're such a necessity for high technology devices, the demand of which increases exponentially every year. Rare earth minerals are particularly key to the transition to renewable energy and decarbonizing our economy. The industry is centered in the AsiaPacific region because the People's Republic of China accounts for...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When this Assembly determines its priorities, will the Premier be willing to either change portfolios or create portfolios to better meet those priorities? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to follow up on questions asked by my honourable friend from Yellowknife Centre to the Honourable Premier around the switching portfolios. So prior to that change, there was one point of contact for our most vulnerable citizens, seniors, the unhoused, and persons with disabilities. So can the Premier just confirm that now there's multiple Ministers that these groups need to go to instead of just one onestop shop? Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I won't weigh into what I think of our system, but I think we can do some improvement here. My question is the federal government has also doubled the rural rebate supplement for Canadians under the climate action payment systems, the one that's administered by the federal government. Have we also doubled any of our or increased our COLO payments to follow suit and make sure that we're benefitting people who are paying in rural or remote areas for our high cost of fuel? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, I'm not sure I heard a clear answer, but I'll ask what is that number; what is the amount of revenue, tax revenue is being collected off home heating oil in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister. So the Premier, the Honourable Premier, has made public statements calling for a blanket exemption for the Northwest Territories. Has the Minister or her department started those negotiations with Ottawa to get an exemption for the carbon tax in the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Thank you to the Minister. I'm just wondering why it's taken so long to get to this point after the decision was made by the federal government. Can the Minister clarify what has taken us to this time? Thanks.