Merci, Monsieur le President. Here is my annual "What I did for my summer holidays" report. Right after our last sitting, my wife and I went for a four-week holiday to Ireland to visit family and take in the Wild West.
Ireland has a vibrant economy that does not rely on non-renewable resources. Tourism is booming in Ireland. On July 12, the Oireachtas, or Irish Parliament, passed a law to sell off its investments in fossil fuels. I'm proud to be an Irish as well as a Canadian citizen, and wish our Cabinet was as forward-thinking.
It was very hot in Ireland, while the Northwest Territories was drowning in rain. I know the Finance and Environment Minister was chalking up the money saved on forest fire fighting, and urge him to reinvest it in renewable energy and economic diversification.
In August, MLAs met for a Caucus retreat at Lac La Martre Adventures Lodge. We shared our individual summer activities, how to improve consensus government, and our work at the Legislative Assembly. There was discussion around increasing the participation of women in the Assembly, and our transition to the next Assembly as well. Many thanks to Lac La Martre Adventures, and to the youth and elders who visited us from Whati.
For the third year, I hand-delivered newsletters throughout the Frame Lake riding. It's very helpful to meet many of my constituents at the door. Issues raised included:
- the need for more investment into renewable and alternative energy and how this should be coordinated with carbon pricing;
- our limited capacity for climate change research and planning;
- the slow pace of land use planning;
- economic diversification for life after diamonds;
- more work needed to lower the cost of housing;
- barriers to employment from the cost and complexity of getting federal pardons;
- need for greater efficiency in government and investment into longer term, cost saving measures (e.g. early childhood development); and
- opportunities for further development of a knowledge economy with post-secondary education.
I look forward to raising these issues again as part of our sitting and to having them addressed in the 2019-2020 budget. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.