Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize Jennifer Lafferty, her partner Donald White, and their son Cameron. Thank you for being with us today and your hard work in developing the petition that I will be tabling later today. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, until that, can we expect no further appropriations for the current courtroom renovations until that planning study is done, notwithstanding the work that's already been undertaken, so no new work apart from what is already going on until we can see that business case and potentially approve a new facility? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for the clarification. Nothing further. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and that would be helpful. I am certainly not looking to question the specifics of these projects, other than to gain a general awareness of where the improvements are being targeted and, fundamentally, to know that they are going to get done in a timely fashion. The contract for the security deficiencies has not gone ahead, so I will be keeping an eye for the June date and the July date to ensure that they are done.

Just turning to court services, there is more money in here for the courthouse. Are these all carry-overs from previous years? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Minister for that update. Finally, as it relates to supporting tourism in the capital or, indeed, throughout the Northwest Territories, the Minister said that the resources are very limited and the demand is outpacing them. Given the needs in Yellowknife and given the needs across the territory, is the Minister willing to bring forward additional financial resources or adjust the budget so we can properly seize on the opportunities presented by tourism? As I said in my statement, Mr. Speaker, they are limitless, but we certainly need to invest in them...

Thank you to the Minister. That is good news. What is the long-term plan for this project? Is it ongoing contribution to support operations until that study is done, or is this the extent of the support this government is providing for tourism services in Yellowknife?

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the start of Tourism Week in Canada and to celebrate the extraordinary accomplishments of the tourism industry here in the Northwest Territories. We can all talk at great length about the need for further economic diversification into new industries in the Northwest Territories, but nothing compares to the sheer potential of our tourism markets. While I still believe that national resource extraction will continue to be the economic bedrock of the NWT, we must look toward other opportunities that can bolster our economy in times of low commodity prices...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is a very welcome amendment to the Summary Conviction Procedures Act. The Minister, in his opening comments, mentioned that this amendment is expected to significantly reduce demand for parking ticket matters on Justice of the Peace court and related provision of sheriff services. I can attest to that, as a former deputy sheriff who has spent many long hours waiting for parking ticket matters to be resolved and seeing no one from the general public show up to attend on their trial matters. It is clearly a system that is antiquated. This brings us forward, and it...

Can the Minister release the details of that plan, either publicly or to the appropriate standing committee?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On May 25th, the Minister of Health and Social Services spoke on the GNWT's public education awareness campaign related to cannabis in preparation for legalization and in preparation to us passing our own laws. I don't want to focus on what is obviously being proposed that we will debate at a later day, but on his statement. It seems like there is a lot of work that has been undertaken already on educating people. Could the Minister provide approximate costs of what has been spent on this public campaign and where the resources are coming from? Thank you.