Delivered on May 31, 2018

Mr. Speaker, I would like to report on the progress being made on the National Housing Strategy.

On April 9, 2018 I, along with my provincial, territorial and federal counterparts, met in Toronto to endorse a multilateral Housing Partnership Framework. The Partnership Framework further advances the National Housing Strategy and sets the foundation for federal, provincial and territorial governments to work together towards achieving a long-term, shared vision for housing.

Delivered October 3, 2017

Mr. Speaker, since 2013, September 30^th has been marked as Orange Shirt Day, a day for all Canadians to remember the survivors of the residential school system.

Organizers chose an orange shirt as the symbol for that day based on a story told by Phyllis Jack Webstat, a survivor of the St. Joseph Mission Residential School in Williams Lake, BC. In her story, Ms. Webstat tells of having the shiny, new orange shirt her grandmother had given to her being taken away on her first day at residential school.

Delivered on March 3, 2017

Mr. Speaker, this morning CBC published an article quoting from Oral Questions yesterday. The article repeats a misstatement that I made during my reply to Oral Question 670-18(2).

I would like to take an opportunity to correct the record.  Quoting from unedited Hansard, I said:

“I understand that there was a careful evaluation of the bid made by the Power Corporation. The bid from Virdi was the lowest rated, and among the factors looked at was price”.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to provide Members with an update on recent changes made with respect to the Northwest Territories Power Corporation.

On May 24, 2016, I appointed six Deputy Ministers to the Board of the Corporation.  The reasons for taking this action have been documented in the media but I would like to briefly reiterate these reasons and provide Members and the public with some information on next steps.

YELLOWKNIFE (May 11, 2016) – Minister Responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC) Louis Sebert announced today that the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) will examine options for the future governance of NTPC as part of its ongoing work to address the high cost of living in the NWT.

As a first step, Minister Sebert has revoked the appointments of the current NTPC Board of Directors effective May 24, 2016. In their place, the Minister will appoint a new board made up of GNWT Deputy Ministers.

Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, or NTPC, continues to adapt and manage its resources to meet the needs of the ever-changing environment of power generation in the North.

Thank you to everyone for attending today’s press conference.

The high cost of energy continues to be one of the most significant challenges faced by the people of the Northwest Territories and our government. Our government is committed to addressing that cost where and how it can, including taking steps to ensure residents are shielded from increases due to factors outside our control, like weather conditions. Around the world, governments are dealing with costs brought on by climate change, and our territory is not alone in facing situations like this.

YELLOWKNIFE (September 2, 2015) –The Government of the Northwest Territories will provide the Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC) with up to $29.7 million to prevent an increase to power rates for all NWT residents. The funding was required because of continued low water levels affecting the Snare and Bluefish hydro systems.