Robert Hawkins

Mr. Speaker, the Minister provides the money and the target, and the legislature provides the $34 million. Mr. Speaker, WETT training is only offered in the south. Would the Minister draw that attention to the Aurora College to see what they could do to bring programs here in the North so we put our community learning centres that are mothballed to work and Northerners trained so we can have safe homes and certainly accessible training programs? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know the Minister will likely answer my question with the colleges independent. They have a mandate, yada, yada, yada. But, Mr. Speaker, when you're the $34 million contributor, you'd think that they'd be very open to suggestions and guidance. So, Mr. Speaker, will the Minister create a special contribution agreement, a stand-alone or some type of thorough mandate agreement, that will help target and make programs that make training accessible for certification in wood management appliances? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Northwest Territories is facing a bottleneck, Mr. Speaker. With biomass heating being the backbone of our energy transition, it not only cuts emissions but it also helps affordability. Right now, we're facing a challenge, Mr. Speaker. There aren't enough people trained to be able to install them, manage them, maintain them, and when the worst thing happens, fix them, Mr. Speaker. Because the very few that we have out there are just simply too, too busy to respond. Mr. Speaker, we need to find a way to get a recognized certification here in the Northwest Territories, find the best of the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the interim or what more feels like the permanent land withdrawal because of this process, is frustrating to Northerners. Mr. Speaker, what's stopping this government under the powers and authority under the Premier to make a financial agreement carrot to work towards closing this? Because it is slowing the North's progress down. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in 1977 -- imagine that, way back -- the Berger Inquiry, the Commission investigated the Mackenzie Valley pipeline, and one of its recommendations at the end was to pause 10 years on the construction to give land claims a chance to settle. Mr. Speaker, it seemed to be he was the only one with the forethought to come up with a closure date on those particular initiatives and if you don't put a closure date, people will use the time and keep going. My question specifically for the Premier would be this, Mr. Speaker: Now that we're knocking on the door of the...

Mr. Speaker, that's not a yes or no. So just to clarify, the Arctic Energy Alliance has created a -- we'll call it an ad hoc program to meet the needs of communities and Northerners. Mr. Speaker, would she help guide the college in that direction to ensure that they're relevant and meeting the retail needs of citizens of the Northwest Territories through that type of certification and support? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to take a moment to recognize Kate Wilson. She was one of my most favourite former neighbours. She is a guiding light in this city. She's an inspirational woman, and so many people in the North look up to her not only for her mentorship but her kindness. She is a lovely person, and I'm so grateful to call her a friend. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Bill 33, Technical Safety Statutes Amendment Act, received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on October 30, 2025, and was referred to the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment for its thorough review.

Mr. Chairman, on February 10th, 2026, the standing committee held a public hearing with the Minister of Infrastructure and completed its clause-by-clause review of the bill. The committee received no submissions on the bill from the public or thereabouts.

Mr. Chairman, in closing, I want to thank the committee members for their robust and...

He's quickly becoming my favourite justice Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If I recall, just to be clear, the last time this was reviewed or kicked around, it was about a $5 million savings to the territorial taxpayer. So my question now is would the Minister agree to consider the opportunity to implement this approach if it boils down to administrative process and minor tweaks to territorial legislation to accommodate this necessity, an opportunity to save money on the territorial taxpayer? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, continuing on the cost-of-living theme on Northerners, and certainly steps the government could do, my questions are now targeted to the Minister of Justice.

Mr. Speaker, is the Minister familiar with the study and assessment that has been done at the Department of Justice with respect to territorial judges being elevated to the Supreme Court bench which would be a direct cost savings to the territorial taxpayer where the federal government would pick up that cost. In other words, eliminate territorial judges and make them all Supreme Court judges. Thank you...