Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last Friday the Union of Northern Workers and the Public Service Alliance of Canada held a demonstration outside of this Legislature in opposition of the sale of the NWT Power Corporation to ATCO. They are very clear: The NWT Power Corporation is owned by all residents of the Northwest Territories. It’s our asset and it must remain a public asset. I agree with them.

History has shown that selling public power corporations to private interest has not resulted in lower power rates for residents over the long term. Just look at the results of the sale of the Yukon Power Corp to private interests. In the end, rates went up to the residents of the Yukon who were previously the owners of their public corporation. In Nova Scotia the province is in the process of reversing the sale of their public power corporation. They’re buying it back after the sale to private interests drove the cost of power up.

Ultimately, I believe that the two reviews that Cabinet are currently conducting are good first steps in finding ways to improve the provision of power throughout the Northwest Territories and, hopefully, reduce the costs of power for all residents. I look forward to the findings of these reviews.

I also support the ATCO review. I believe that it would be irresponsible not to conduct a comprehensive review of a proposal of this magnitude. I don’t believe we should sell the Power Corporation. Conducting this review, in my opinion, will help this government assess future opportunities and possibly identify some improvements which are required within our Power Corporation. All reasonable ideas and suggestions should be considered.

Having said that, I know the confusion still exists. During my discussions with individuals participating in the demonstration, I was asked some specific questions on process that I need to have clarified later today.