Thank you, Madam Chair. Bill 92, An Act to Amend the Petroleum Products and Carbon Tax Act, No. 3, received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on June 1st, 2023, and was referred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations for review. The standing committee held a public hearing with the Minister of Finance on June 27th, 2023, and held the clause-by-clause review on July 28th, 2023.

I thank the committee for their work in reviewing this legislation. Individual Members may have additional comments or questions. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. I will now open the floor to general comments on Bill 92. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Madam Chair. No, just in regards to carbon tax, what are -- where the carbon tax revenue sharing in regards with the communities that they're going through a tough time right now because of fuel costs, the gasoline costs, to run the hamlet -- to run our hamlets, for heavy equipment and just general labour for the community for watching the roads and the -- you know, the water/sewer companies having to buy increased costs in fuel when, again, you know, our carbon tax -- or carbon that -- is only 0.05 but -- across our territory. I mean, like I said before, they should be paying us in regards to cleaning their air for them.

The biggest thing that I have -- the issue that I have with this is why is it taking so long to give the carbon sharing to the communities in regards to the cost offset for the fuel, gasoline, and the high cost of trying to do businesses in the local hamlet? Thank you.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the numbers are only just beginning to -- I mean, the change only happened just this past July. So I don't yet necessarily know how much carbon tax revenue there will be. As soon as the calculation can be made, then the payments can be made.

Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Madam Chair. No, I'll just give her a little -- a little briefing here.

From $2.30 and it went, jumped up at the pump for diesel to $2.60 in Tuk. From $2.10, it jumped to $2.30 in Tuk for gasoline at the pump. And it's affecting the community, Madam Chair. So that date she just said is the worst day this territory ever did to us across the territory for the people, taking on carbon tax when we're at 0.05. So why is it taking so long? I don't care about the time in regards to when it happened. I mean, it happened. People are going without. This carbon tax is affecting the trucking, the community -- local community stores, and it's -- people are waiting. And is there an update from the federal government on when they're going to start giving people this so-called carbon tax rebate; is that happening yet? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, again, the federal government changed the tax rates on April 1st of this year and when there's the ability to make the calculation of the amounts for the year, then we will do that and be able to do that. The federal government does provide the rebates on a quarterly basis. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. Right now, you know -- you know my thoughts in regards to carbon tax. We are hit so hard in the small communities for cost. The people want to blame the local stores, the trucking companies for the cost. But they should be blaming us in regards to taking on that carbon tax. And like I said before, we're doing the federal government's dirty work in regards to doing this to a territory; we should have never took it on because people are going without in the communities. I got families that -- for carbon tax that are, like, income support should be increased because of that, because the cost of food. Like I said, safety of hunters. Today I had two boat crews going out, hunting this late in the year, fall, going to get caribou meat because, you know, to subsidize -- food subsidies for their families. So it's just -- for myself, I -- how I look at this is we should have killed the bill that time when we did it because all -- everybody who's going without right now and the federal government not supporting them, they should be ashamed of themselves in regards to this. Right now we have -- like, I could go on and on but you're going to hear more tomorrow, so this is just a start.

So can the Minister, I guess, ask her federal counterpart in Ottawa when -- when is it going to be -- like, give exact dates on payouts for the hamlets of Tuk, for the people that are individuals in the communities. Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the carbon tax was happening whether we did it ourselves or not. I can say with respect to the communities, again just a reminder that, you know, income assistance certainly is currently to cover the costs as it would for their clients' housing, Northwest Territories covers costs for their clients. But as to a calculation for the amount that would go to communities under the current amendments that are before the House, again, right now, there's a calculation, it's in subsection (5) describing what needs to be calculated. It requires knowing the total amounts of rebates provided, total amounts of grants provided. I'm going to need to do that at the end of the fiscal year. I simply do not have the numbers to do the calculations before that. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Madam Chair. No, just in regards to the communities that we represent and the cost of living with the carbon tax, I think that, you know, sooner rather than later in regards to getting the funding flowing from Ottawa and if it's possible -- like, we have -- like, for instance from Tuk, you're 1,140 kilometers away. Cost of living over there, it skyrocketed. So can the Minister try to reach out to her federal counterpart to ask if we could get this rushed because of the carbon tax and carbon tax three -- or 2.0's coming out. Is there going to be an increase in that too for us, to charge on to our -- to the people that we represent and the people that voted us in? Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I certainly have asked that the idea put forward that there be some further effort from one of our counterparts in the federal government responsible for this that they be in a position to provide more funding, that they recognize the burden they've put on small communities, and recognize the burden they've put on small Indigenous and remote communities. So let me see certainly if I can provide some further information on their behalf. It's certainly -- my efforts to distinguish the Government of the Northwest Territories from the choices made in Ottawa, I would stress again that they are different levels of government, but if there is something I can do to help facilitate some further information about funding from federal sources, I will certainly undertake that. Thank you.

Thank you. Member for Nunakput.

Madam Chair, just because Ottawa tells us to do something doesn't mean we have to do it. We're a local community government and legislators of the Northwest Territories. Our made-in-the North tiered system, where's the Minister at with that in the communities and like what we talked about when this was coming forward? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. So Madam Chair, if what is being referenced here is the -- again, the regulations are contemplating having a base amount for everyone community and then a per capita amount for every community to address the fact that there will be needs in every small community but then also needs associated to greater populations. That is part of what's before the House today. Thank you.

Thank you. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you. Minister of Finance.