Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I stand in support of the principle of this bill. It has been a long time coming. Members have advocated for these necessary changes that are long overdue. They have been advocated by the Cities, Towns and Villages Act for some years now, and I am very pleased to see the government bring this forward.
It is essential that we give our cities, towns, and villages the tools that they need to effectively maintain their operations and to take advantage of economic opportunities like tourism. In my community of Yellowknife, the need for a hotel levy has been long canvassed, and it is supported by the city council. I like to think that we have a very good working relationship with our local government here in the city. I am very pleased to see the government bring these changes forward so that we can start to get to work on it as a standing committee.
As chair of the committee that will be reviewing the bill, I also look forward to engaging with stakeholders in our cities, towns, and villages to make sure that this bill meets their needs and that we do our due diligence as a committee to ensure it is the best legislation possible, and we will get to that within the coming weeks. Thank you.