Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to talk about the energy plan and Greenhouse Gas Strategy today. We have a collection of initiatives from the government and they're all admirable in their own way. Increased funding to the Arctic Energy Alliance, which was a complete 180 from a few years ago, Mr. Speaker, ECE talked about climate change curriculum, DOT is also doing some testing and training, but what is the plan? What do these initiatives add up to and what is the intention of this government? Are we serious about cutting back on emissions? If so, what are our targets? How are we going to get there? Will we enforce our penalties with people and companies who don't reduce their emissions? What will the effect on the economy be as a result, Mr. Speaker?
We all know about the poll from the Globe and Mail that found support for tough action against global warming. Fifty-six percent even said that they would support rationing the amount of fossil fuels an individual uses each year. I've been asking for a plan since oil prices started to climb over two years ago, Mr. Speaker. The time for this government to be proactive is certainly running out. We know the Arctic will suffer from climate change. We know the infrastructure where we drive, where we live, where we work, are all going to suffer enormous damage as the permafrost continues to melt and, as we know, energy prices continue to climb higher and higher.
We need an action plan with targets and, yes, we need consequences, Mr. Speaker. We need to have a serious discussion about what life is going to look like in the Northwest Territories in the next few years and what legacy we are going to leave. If the importance of climate change is not recognized today and we do nothing, there will be grave circumstances. If we work to mitigate these effects and it turns out that climate change is only a trend, our biggest burden, Mr. Speaker, will be a cleaner and healthier environment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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