Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is time for this government to get serious about renewable energy and fully realize the potential to reduce our costs and support our people and businesses in a responsible way. This motion is about just that.

In the absence of real action, energy costs will go on soaring until we get down to it. We now have four years of experience with energy initiatives from the 16

th Assembly. We have made many internal

gains and learned many lessons about how to be more effective with energy expenditure. Now it is time to fund and apply this knowledge to the full benefit of our communities.

This experience, combined with a significant increase in our revenues of $132 million this year, indicates that conditions are ripe for action. What action? We are simply asking for implementation of proven technologies that exists in thousands of communities throughout Europe, the northern Scandinavian countries and elsewhere around the globe.

Currently, rather than addressing the situation, our government is letting the soaring costs of inaction accumulate in hidden ways in the form of ever-

increasing energy subsidies and fuel costs. These costs are much greater than the 2 or 3 or 4 percent we would pay on a few million dollars borrowed to deliver new energy systems. Such costs include: more than doubling the $14 million per year we already subsidize electricity rates; greater than 50 percent rise in fuel costs since 2007, borne by our people, our government, our municipalities, our businesses, our environment; seniors fuel subsidies that don’t change in litres, only in cost; and so on.

Rather than wise investment towards reducing and stabilizing energy prices, we seem almost eerily content to allow these hidden costs to soar, costs that are robbing funds from the many important service delivery demands already existing and accumulating.

Our public wants and needs alternatives to fossil fuels in all our communities. Further, our people know that developing local and regional renewable energy sources will provide community jobs and local economic development, and will capture the multiplier benefits of dollars paid and spent locally instead of being sent south to businesses and jobs far away. They also know that other benefits will accrue, including environmental and social benefits to areas where our needs are so great.

If we were to commit a modest $5 million, only a fraction of what was decimated from this budget, that would be well under 1 percent of our debt limit that we fought so hard to have increased. I want to keep things in perspective here when we talk about those sort of numbers.

The budget has removed millions of dollars from the energy budgets – proposes to – in both environment and natural resources, and in industry and tourism investment, right when needs are the greatest. Choices are being made. This decision is unacceptable and we want a renewed commitment of dollars dedicated to providing stable and reduced energy prices in the NWT. We want to support and appreciate our indigenous and long-term residents, we want people living here to stay here, and we want to attract the kind of people who value sustainable living and a government that addresses this issue and the cost of living generally. Let’s get an appropriate level of energy dollars back in the books and directed towards effective delivery on community energy initiatives.

I look forward to the comments and perspectives of all my colleagues, and I will be, obviously, supporting this motion, and I would appreciate consideration. Mahsi.