Masi. Oral questions. Member from Frame Lake.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I don't think I actually heard a response to my question. I will try it again. I think he has leapt ahead to the next one I was going to ask. I was looking for a commitment from the Minister to an independent, evidence-based review of economic rent from mining, including taxes and royalties, during the life of this Assembly. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

As I stated in the House yesterday, we are not prepared to do that in the life of this Assembly. In our discussions with the Intergovernmental Council, we have made the decision to park this review of royalties moving forward until such time as the MRA is done and we will continue to move towards that. When we do come forward with the mineral resource royalties review, I can assure this House that we will have meaningful participation no different than what we have done on the MRA. We will have reached out to all the regions, all the stakeholders, all the residents of the Northwest Territories online, in person, what we need to do to make sure we get this Mineral Resource Act right and the royalties moving forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier I was talking about the Arctic Policy Framework and that the federal government is replacing the Northern Strategy with the new Arctic Policy Framework. My questions today are for the Premier. While I appreciate, Mr. Speaker, that there is work being done, I am a little bit concerned that the framework doesn't really align or isn't balanced with the territory's goal and objectives. I would like to start by asking the Premier: can the Premier, first of all, tell Northerners what our government is doing to guarantee that our needs are being met in the development of the Arctic Policy Framework? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. The Honourable Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, the Arctic Policy Framework is a federal policy. There are no guarantees, because it will be developed by the federal government. Having said that, the federal government has seen fit, in their definition of "Arctic," to include not only Yukon, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories, but have also included Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Manitoba, and, of course, Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, and the Metis National Council. As I said, this is the federal government.

Nonetheless, we are working very hard to include all sectors, all stakeholders, all governments in developing a Northwest Territories chapter. Obviously, the federal government will have the overarching document. There will be chapters for NWT, Nunavut, Yukon. There will be chapters for the three provinces. There will be chapters for AFN, ITK, and MNC.

We are holding round tables to ensure that we get as much input as possible. The only guarantee I wouldn't say is a guarantee. I wrote to the Prime Minister. He wrote back that he welcomed our input, that we will have our own NWT chapter, and if we didn't like what was written in a draft, he would be pleased to meet to talk about how we could improve the policy framework for the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you to the Premier for the details that he shared in the reply. Just for a little bit of clarification, I would like to ask the Premier: I recognize that we are undergoing efforts on our part to make a contribution to the chapter in the Arctic Policy Framework. I just want to get confirmation again from the Premier: are we consulting with Indigenous governments here in our territory for a contribution to that chapter?

As part of the overall framework, our government has the opportunity to develop a chapter. We have begun that process with a series of round tables with Indigenous governments, industry, and non-government organizations to identify key issues to include in the NWT chapter. I should point out that Indigenous governments certainly have other opportunities. The Inuit can have input into the ITK chapter. They have alliances with Nunavut, so they could have input in the Nunavut chapter. The federal government is holding parallel round tables throughout the North with the same people. They will be very well represented and have a lot of input into this document.

Thanks again to the Premier for his reply. Last year, at roundup, not the most recent one but the one before, the Premier along with our sister territories announced the Pan-Territorial Vision for Sustainable Development. Is it the Premier's position that the Government of the Northwest Territories, a significant part of our chapter in the Arctic Policy Framework will stem from the Pan-Territorial Vision for Sustainable Development?

As the Member knows, the Minister of Indigenous Affairs Canada appointed a Ministerial Special Representative to consult across northern Canada about the Arctic Policy Framework. Mary Simon was the MSR, and the three Northern Premiers felt that her report was too focused on conservation. I think it would be hard for us to find the words "sustainable development" any place in that report, and we felt that we needed to have some balance. The three Premiers of the three northern territories developed the Pan-Territorial Vision for Sustainable Development that we submitted, and submitted it to the Prime Minister, and that is one aspect of it. In writing the chapter, as I said, we will be consulting across the territory, and this will provide input into the development of the Northwest Territories chapter.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Premier's reply. There have been some concerns, I suppose, that have been raised about the Pan-Territorial Vision for Sustainable Development in the sense that some folks are concerned about the balance that it might have within itself.

I would just like to ask the Premier: as much as it does focus on economic development, and frankly, I agree that that is a focus that we need to have, does the Premier feel that our goals to diversify the economy, mitigate climate change, and educate our people will also be met within the Pan-Territorial Vision for Sustainable Development? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We support balance, sustainable development, and we believe that with the Pan-Territorial Vision for Sustainable Development, at least in the Northwest Territories chapter, we will have some balance between conservation and development. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I had to think long and hard about what Minister is responsible for electricity in Kakisa. If we want to dial "E" for "energy," it is the Minister of Infrastructure who must answer the bell. I will start by asking him: who is responsible for innovative solutions to Kakisa's electricity problems? Earlier, I alluded to the frequent power outages. What funding is available for the necessary research? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As you may know, Kakisa is one of the communities serviced by Northland Utilities. We do, however, have Kakisa in particular on our radar. One exciting potential project is the Fort Providence to Kakisa transmission line to connect diesel communities to the Taltson Renewable Hydro Project, and this proposed project is detailed in our draft energy strategy that is coming out. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is very encouraging to hear from the Minister that Kakisa is indeed on the radar. What is the Department of Infrastructure doing to help small communities develop more reliable and more sustainable options for generating electricity? Are they researching for useful community energy plans? Will the Minister commit to working with Kakisa on that?

We have a slate of potential energy solutions for communities across the Northwest Territories, including wind, solar, LNG, mini hydro. This will depend on the local energy resources potential of each community.

Under the 2030 Energy Strategy, we are committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from diesel communities by 25 per cent by 2030. Community energy plans are well-suited for community-owned energy efficiency and renewable heating solutions, and under the energy strategy we are committed to supporting energy planning for communities that take this initiative.

The Minister's department has a lot of experience with pellet heating systems. Have his experts looked at the feasibility of a community heating system for Kakisa, and if so, what was the result?

This would likely require some study. There are a lot of factors that go into understanding the type of system that would be feasible in the community. Under the Energy Strategy Action Plan, the Government of the Northwest Territories will be launching an application-based government energy fund where communities can request funds to undertake this kind of initiative.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am concerned that the needs of small communities lack detail and emphasis in developing an energy strategy for the NWT. Will the Minister please explain how the territorial energy strategy will address the needs I have identified for Kakisa, for example, the frequent power outages, and, I am sure, other communities as well? Mahsi.