Thank you, Madam Speaker. It's been over four and a half years since the Northwest Territories Power Corporation board was removed and a board of deputy ministers was replaced. There have been a number of ministerial changes in that time, and I would just like to walk through why this is so important that we create a proper arm's-length power corporation and reinstate the board. This all began in 2014 and 2015 when back-to-back subsidies were needed for the Power Corporation because they simply were not running a sufficient budget for a rainy day or, in this case, a non-rainy day due to low water levels. In response to that, the board was removed, and it came under the control of deputy ministers, perhaps a reasonable response had failed to keep a surplus and make sure the Power Corporation was running.

A proper power corporation will, through its ratepayers, be able to fund its own. A good example we see of this is the WSCC, where, when they make a rate increase, it is to balance. It's an evidenced approach, and it doesn't allow political interference to say, "No. You're not going to do that." Then, at the end of the day, we end up with a power corporation that is not sufficient."

However, I believe that is the case we are presently in. The Northwest Territories Power Corporation debt is rapidly increasing, and it doesn't seem like this change to a board of deputy ministers has addressed the underlying root cause. In our capital budget, we have millions and millions of dollars in power infrastructure, another rate increase is coming, and it doesn't seem that the systemic problem of providing power that is paid for by ratepayers is at all being addressed.

I know this system is not working. We have one of the highest rates of power in the Northwest Territories. In June 2016, then Minister Louis Sebert committed to a governance review looking at the board of directors and to bring that back and see a full governance model to get an arm's-length board, perhaps, and see if this could be addressed. Once again, Minister Shane Thompson, at the time, repeatedly was asked to come up with a governance model, and there was some back and forth about whether any direction was being provided to that board of deputy ministers.

One of the problems, I believe, is it's often said that these deputy ministers aren't arm's-length. That's a problem in itself; and they're not completely free from political direction. If I was the Minister of the Power Corporation, I would expand their mandate into heating; I would prevent ministerial directions to them, and that's failed to happen. Madam Chair, I'm seeking unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

--Unanimous consent granted