Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Huge benefits accrue from investing in our artists and their industry. The 2011-12 economic review shows

the arts and crafts industry produced about $7 million. Three thousand NWT residents participated in producing some form of art or craft for sale, although most earned less than $1,000 a year on their sales.

Spending in the cultural sector multiplies enormously. For every million dollars of output, the arts sector generates 13 jobs, compared to only one job by the diamond mining industry. We have a good start, and since 2007 we have increased annual arts funding from about $900,000 to about $2 million. That’s good, but doing more will yield even greater benefits.

It’s a growing sector. In 2008 national consumer spending on cultural products increased by 49 percent. Canadians spent twice as much attending performances as on sporting events. Arts events don’t just sell tickets, they sell sales of meals, accommodation, recordings and artwork. Two-thirds of Canadians read. Let’s sell them a book.

Employing 100 people with full-time jobs, our film industry contributed $9 million to the economy and paid $5 million in wages in ’11-12. Film products are attracting attention from North America and the world, and are putting the NWT and our people on the map. The free tourism promotion is enormous, but relative to other jurisdictions like Yukon, Nunavut and the provinces, our industry support is still nickel and dime compared to what’s needed. The talent is demonstrated. Let’s learn from our neighbours and take the next steps with a significant film granting and local job support programs.

Social benefits are equally impressive. A recent study shows at-risk youth who take arts instruction succeed more in school, drop out less, go on to college, and volunteer and participate more in society. I attended the Yellowknife performance of the renowned Gryphon Trio on Saturday at NACC and was pleased to learn that wasn’t just a Yellowknife event. With NACC staff efforts and government support, audiences in Hay River, Inuvik, Fort Simpson and Norman Wells were also able to take in shows and enjoyed master’s workshops for aspiring musicians.

Increased support will swell the opportunities for fulfilling careers here at home. Performance, crafts and artwork, recording, publishing, news media. Add them up with the spinoffs in spending to other sectors and the social well-being created, the arts makes sense. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As my colleague indicated, we had the honour of attending the 2013 Chamber of Commerce gala in Hay River on Friday night. Typically this is one of the big events of the year in Hay River, where the Citizen of the Year is named. This Citizen of the Year is Lilian Crook. Lilian Crook is a long-time Hay River resident. She’s a valuable asset to the community of Hay River. She does a great deal of volunteering in the community. She is the leader of the Hay River Persons with Disabilities and she’s the successful award winner of this year’s Citizen of the Year.

During this awards presentation they also recognized Customer Service Person of the Year and this year’s recipient is Steve Campbell. Steve can be seen at the Hay River town pool assisting all of the people that are there, a very enthusiastic young individual. The town should be proud of a staff member like that.

I’d like to at this time take an opportunity, on behalf of the chamber and my colleague Mrs. Groenewegen, to thank the Minister of ITI and Transportation, Mr. Ramsay, for attending the gala and coming down to Hay River for the event. I’d also like to send out congratulations to all the award winners of the Queen’s Jubilee. I’d like to thank the chamber themselves and the hardworking individuals who helped make this a successful event. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Housing continues to be a major problem in my home community of Fort Providence. There are people who are in desperate need of housing. For example, I know a few people that live at the winter crossing. I also know of a few people that live with their parents or their family.

I hope all Members will think about that, especially the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. It’s not acceptable to leave families out in the cold when there are alternatives and practical ways to help them. I think that last summer there were five empty houses, housing units in Fort Providence. I believe some are still vacant. They could be allocated to people who need them if some decisions were made to do it.

One of the major barriers is arrears to the Housing Corporation. People become ineligible for programs and assistance if they have previous arrears. I’m

not sure of the origin of these arrears, or if past arrears of former housing clients are being reduced in the corporation’s current re-evaluation of arrears. I know that that will help some current tenants, if the reduction of arrears could also be available to former tenants.

I don’t know where some families are going to find the money to clear their housing arrears. There are lots of jobs here in Yellowknife, but none in Fort Providence. With the opening of the Deh Cho Bridge, Fort Providence has lost jobs. There were 13 jobs on the ferry alone, plus some more on the ice crossing. It remains to be seen whether the Deh Cho Bridge will bring any new business and job opportunities.

What I see, Mr. Speaker, is hard times for people who lack health and housing, and few ways that they can escape that predicament entirely on their own. The only solution for now is better management of our housing programs and filling empty units. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is said water is life and life is water. Hydraulic fracking will be a big issue for the Northwest Territories now. During the review of the Department of Natural Resources’ budget, some of the Members of this side of the House shared some concerns about fracking because of the oil and gas development in the Sahtu, and that it’s putting pressure on the Government of the Northwest Territories, federal regulatory and Aboriginal organizations to make decisions about the use of this technology.

Fracking would make us wealthy, but at what cost? The process involves blasting thousands of gallons of water treated with chemicals deep underground to release the oil and gas resources. Flowback from the wells is very polluted and often pumped back underground. When we take the water and put it underground, it can never be used again. Are we putting our water quality at risk?

The sand used in fracking is in such high demand it creates its own industry. Entire hillsides are being excavated, landscapes changed in order to mine the sand for fracking wells. The sand is just one of the many loads that our ice roads will have to carry if we allow fracking in the Sahtu. This winter we have seen hundreds of truckloads of supplies on our winter roads, putting demand on our infrastructure like never before.

There are some concerns. Fracking is completely banned in some places and very controversial in other jurisdictions. We in the Sahtu need to know

the unknowns about fracking. Canada has invested a lot of education and publicity on the hydraulic fracking. Provinces such as BC and Alberta have regulatory systems that handle issues such as water use and drilling procedures. Their inspectors have substantial enforcement powers. We will need that in the Northwest Territories. For example, the National Energy Board’s recent action with Husky Oil in the Sahtu demonstrates that effective enforcement is possible in the Northwest Territories as well.

The environmental impact of hydraulic fracking is a global issue.

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

I encourage the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to begin to pay close attention to all developments in the areas of protection and environmental stewardship, and to study best practices in other jurisdictions. We need to make the best choice and find ways to mitigate the impacts of this technology on our land, water, people and animals. Life flows from our water.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Moses. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Inflation is at a three-year low. Why? Because of cheaper gas prices across Canada, everywhere but the Northwest Territories. The Canadian Consumer Price Index is saying that it is at its lowest since 2009 in January. Why? Because of gasoline prices, yet again everywhere but the NWT.

I visited the fuel pumps this week, like many Northerners, and we all continue to experience the high prices of gasoline here in the Northwest Territories. Since raising this issue almost four weeks ago, Northerners keep telling me that they feel like they’re at the mercy of the local market controlling the gas prices, which are truly not reflective of what should be considered fair market price. Northerners, like all Canadians, are willing to pay their fair share, but are Northerners being taken advantage of?

I’m not a fan of needless, useless, continuous government regulation, but we need, maybe, regulation in this particular case to ensure that Northerners are protected and are defended from price poaching.

Gas prices in Saskatchewan dropped almost nine cents. Almost 7.5 cents they were lower in Alberta and that led the country. They’re dropping everywhere but the Northwest Territories. How much longer do the people of the Northwest Territories have to be held victim or hostage to gas poaching?

In short, we need consumer protection that speaks for Northerners, that protects, Northerners because we cannot allow this any further. I again stress that regulation may be the answer and it’s important that the government steps to the plate, leads by example, and shows that they are interested in protecting Northerners. If they are not, who knows who is, because I can tell you that gas sellers are not.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Bouchard.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize two Pages from Hay River North: Nadia Wood and my niece, Sherisse Bouchard. Also in the gallery is my sister-in-law Leslie Bouchard, who is their guardian for the week.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. I’d like to welcome all visitors in the public gallery here today. Thank you for taking an interest in our proceedings.

Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are directed to the Minister of ENR regarding the fracking technology that will possibly be used in the Sahtu. I want to ask the Minister regarding this technology what the Environment and Natural Resources baseline data information he’s using to measure the impacts and quality of land, air, water, animals. What type of information does he have to look at the types of impacts that fracking could cause in our region?

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The government’s working collectively to assess the potential impacts of fracking. We’re working, and have involved the committee, to pull together guidelines and best practices. We intend to come forward in the next couple of months with what we think are guidelines for consideration as it pertains to fracking. We’re working, as well, to establish baseline information on groundwater, surface water, wildlife habitat issues working with, of course, the Environmental Research and Studies Fund that exists. It is funded partially by industry. We want to pull all this information together. This is

not going to be a short-term commitment, it’s going to be a longer-term commitment as we look at the potential in the central Mackenzie Valley.

The oil companies are very encouraged with the Canol shale play in the Sahtu. I want to ask the Minister, within the next couple months, I believe even by next month, there might be possibly an application going in for horizontal fracking in the Sahtu. The Minister has talked about the long term. Is there anything in the short term between now and the application that has reached the regulatory boards? Is this information going to be sufficient for us to judge it on the merits of this procedure?

Every application, as far as I’m aware, has to do in their area some initial drilling to set a baseline so they know exactly what is going to be taking place in the ground beneath their feet. There are processes the application will have to go through and we will see what is contained in the detail of the application. It will go through the appropriation processes and the determinations will be made in due course.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the process of the application for fracking does go through in the Sahtu possibly next month, possibly this summer, do we have enough protection for the people of the Northwest Territories, protection for the people in the Sahtu region that we could withstand the test of the application saying yes, we have the baseline information? Can the Minister assure me we have the baseline information on the animals, the water, the air, the things that need to be to ensure our lifestyle will remain intact, even if we go ahead with the fracking?

I can tell the Member that we’re hard at work putting all the pieces in place, doing the proper groundwork to make sure we have the procedures and practices that are necessary if horizontal hydraulic fracturing is going to be considered and contemplated, and to get ready for the use of that technology.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.