Kieron Testart

Earlier the Minister commented that the Liquor Commission has made $5,000 in the first hour of sales. It seems like a very viable operation. Again, why is the Minister putting a criterion that he needs to be the one to determine if the business is going to be successful before that business is allowed to exist?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister of Finance about the regulations for private sales that he has brought forward. I have taken a look at them, and the concerns I have heard from other people who are interested in a business: you need to sign a lease; you need a have a development permit; you need to have an extensive criminal background check; and this is all before you start the application process. These seem to be incredibly onerous and incredibly hard to get retail businesses off the ground. Does the Minister truly believe that this meets the goals of the standing...

Earlier today the Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction at the federal level gave a press conference and said that Canadians should be vigilant but otherwise should have no issues crossing the border. As relatively new information, and I don't think it is well-understood at this point, can the Premier reach out to his federal counterparts and get more information on the subject and clarify it so that Northern residents know it is safe to travel, where they can travel, and what they are allowed to do?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will that plan include the private sector regulations or the private store, private sale regulations that this government committed to during the debates on the legislation? Thank you.

I didn't ask have we made a dent in one hour. I asked how we are monitoring to ensure this process works. There was a commitment to bring forward a costed plan. There is still no costed plan. The Minister thinks this is a laughing matter; I think Northerners think this is a serious matter. So where is the plan, when is he going to bring it forward, and when is this side of the House going to be able to see it and evaluate it to make sure it protects our communities?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a Page from the Kam Lake riding, Juliet Stephen. Thank you for all your work here today supporting the Members. I would also like to recognize Mr. Keith MacNeill, a fine member of the Kam Lake constituency. Finally, my constituency assistant, Mr. Michael Burchill, who recently moved to the Northwest Territories, and it's great to have him help in my office. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to report to the Assembly that the Standing Committee on Government Operations has reviewed Bill 8, Emergency Management Act, and that Bill 8 is now ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I agree with the Minister. We need a made-in-the-North system, so I'm trying to explore other options that may have not been considered. I commend the government for actually bringing forward a plan. It's just late in the game, and people are concerned about how it's going to affect families, so can the Minister share the cap-and-trade analysis they've done with this House or release it publicly so we can see the analysis and see exactly what was considered?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as other Members of the House have mentioned, many of my constituents have concerns with the government's carbon pricing plan. I've taken a look at some of the statistics on emissions. If you look at the overall emissions for commercial and residential combined, it only makes up 10 per cent of total carbon emissions, so it doesn't seem like everyday Northern families are really the ones who are creating the highest level of emissions. I'm wondering if there's a way we can better craft a system to shield them from potential economic hardship that comes along...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that there are offsets and rebates in the carbon pricing proposal. However, industry, who are our largest emitters, seems to have many very high rebates built into it. So I'd like to ask the Minister what the priority was in the carbon pricing plan. Was it on the everyday family, the people who are producing only 10 per cent of emissions, or was the focus really to work with industry to lower those emissions and to bring us to the standard that we need to be at to reduce temperatures moving into the future? Thank you.