Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So how has the -- has the policy changed, Mr. Speaker? The Minister spoke of bringing it back to the Council of Leaders. Has the policy changed since what Members have been told? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Northerners continue to be puzzled why this government is stripping away benefits that have existed for many, many years. Yes, I'm talking about the affirmative action policy changes that are leaving people who live -- were born and raised in the Northwest Territories who have lived half their life here, Indigenous, non-Indigenous, why they're being left out in the cold. Can the Minister explain -- Minister responsible for the public service explain why she is so determined to take this benefit away from Northerners. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That is good news as well. Mr. Speaker, another thing that this crisis has prompted is taking a look at energy security in Canada. We're talking about getting oil and gas to market -- or sorry, to ports and to finding new ports. The Northwest Territories is one of the largest supplies of oil and gas in the world. Can the Premier tell us if he is pursuing that opportunity and how we are going to unlock this resource to benefit not only Canada's security but northern security as well? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the Premier for being part of the Team Canada response to the US tariff threat. And I'd like to ask today what the status of that approach is. Where are Canada's premiers and the Prime Minister on ensuring that we can overcome this challenge to our economic sovereignty in the next 30 days? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if the committee were to be supportive -- well, that's a hypothetical.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister -- the Minister can also zero out the regs. She doesn't need legislation. She could make the regs zero dollars for the tax, zero dollars for the revenue. Is the Minister willing to do that? Again, we have a golden opportunity to give Northerners a break for a couple of months. The Minister, lower our cost of living, give Northerners a break, give them a carbon tax holiday. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, we're often accused of being slow to move as a government. We have a bill that can be brought forward and axe the tax tomorrow. So is the Minister willing to support that legislation, Bill 3, and get rid of the carbon tax in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Then I would suggest bringing it to committee before you bring it to the media. That's just a tip for the Minister.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that Indigenous people will be better represented by this change potentially. I think we still need to have conversations. But what about black and brown people, women, people with disabilities, people who were covered by the old policy? Is the Minister taking DEI -- on the anti-DEI train that Donald Trump is on, or are we just leaving these people out in the cold too? The old policy covered this. It was around diversity, around...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I agree the public service should be representative of the people it serves. How is encouraging more southern Indigenous people to work for the public service representative of the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Premier withhold the NWT's critical minerals from American -- from imports or exports to America? Thank you. Tariffs.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Premier. I mean, I'm jealous I'm not a part of those calls because it would be great to call Donald Trump's bluff and beat him at his own game. So thank you for that.

Mr. Speaker, have the Canada's premiers had a discussion about eliminating interprovincial trade barriers, getting, you know -- winning this war is one thing, but we have to build for the future. That's a big part of this. So what progress are we making on eliminating interprovincial trade barriers? Thank you.