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Track Kieron

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Crucial Fact

  • His favourite word is public.

MLA for Range Lake

Won his last election, in 2023, with 55% of the vote.

Statements in the House

Question 149-20(1): Recreational Land Leases February 29th, 2024

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I said in my Member's statement, I have constituents who have been waiting years for any kind of clarity on recreational land leasing. So I'd like to ask the Minister responsible for Environment and Climate Change, can the Minister commit to a consistent and transparent land leasing process? Thank you.

Acknowledgement 1-20(1): Hazenberg 55th Wedding Anniversary February 29th, 2024

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to acknowledge my constituents John Hazenberg and Gerda Hazenberg on the occasion of their 55th wedding anniversary.

When a couple reaches such an extraordinary milestone, it is worth celebrating with utmost joy and gratitude. After all, 55 years together is an incredible achievement of love and togetherness.
Today I'm honored to recognize John and Gerda and wish them many more years of enduring commitment in a relationship that has withstood the test of time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery February 29th, 2024

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll join the chorus of my colleagues recognizing former MLA, good friend, Kevin O'Reilly. You think retirement would keep him away but once it gets in the blood, politics will never leave. So thank you for being here, Kevin. Appreciate your interest.

Member's Statement 143-20(1): Recreational Land Leases February 29th, 2024

Mr. Speaker, land is life. There's nothing quite like living out on the land, especially up here in the North's pristine, rugged environment. It should be no surprise that the demand for recreational land leases in the Northwest Territories is relentless. Some Northerners build cabins so they can pursue their traditional lifestyles of hunting and trapping. Others come to the North to build a vacation spot where they can experience a land that's much different from the cities and suburbs they call home. I know in my riding, there are plenty of folks who look to obtain these leases so they can provide a weekend getaway from their busy lives for their friend and family. I've spoken to many of those cabin-seeking constituents during my campaign last fall, and they are all dealing with the same frustrating circumstances. They follow the rules and applied for a recreational land lease, and then heard nothing. Months would turn into years without hearing back anything from the department regarding the status of their leases. Eager to build a cabin of their own and optimistic in the green light they had initially received, they bought essential construction supplies that now sit rotting and warping in their backyards. Meanwhile, cabins have sprung up in the lots next to them as those leases for those neighboring plots of land sailed through the department's processes.

Mr. Speaker, we know there are complex circumstances behind recreational land leasing in the Northwest Territories. There are still land claims to be signed and impacts from development to be studied; however, the politics are for us to debate and the policies are for the government to work out. Regular folks just want a cabin to call their own. They should not have to go through a political process when applying for a recreational land lease. They should not need the advocacy of their MLA to get updates on the leases they applied for. The GNWT needs to get its House in order when it comes to the leasing process so there's a set of rules to play by and a transparent reasonable process that follows. Let's get the work done here so our constituents can get out there and enjoy the land we call home. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Bill 3: Carbon Tax Repeal Act, Carried February 28th, 2024

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, no matter where you stand on the debate over carbon pricing, it has become clear that the Northwest Territories carbon pricing regime is leaving Northerners in the cold.

Several years after its introduction, the GNWT still cannot clearly state how successful its price on carbon has been at reducing emissions while their rebate system has not kept up with the increased in cost of living. In a previous Assembly, the Standing Committee on Government Operations clearly warned the government that their rebate strategy was inadequate and raised doubts regarding whether or not the GNWT could clearly grasp the impact that their carbon pricing regime would have on Northerners.

Mr. Speaker, the committee at the time raised a number of key concerns. It was missing too much information from the department, its concern regarding cost of living, the struggle to understand the effects on Northerners, the prioritization of large scale mining over small businesses and consumers, the lack of understandings on how emissions will be measured, and serious consultations with -- serious issues with how consultations were performed with not only the standing committee but members of the public. And this is all extending from previous issues that were raised by the standing committee of the 18th Legislative Assembly, of which I was a Member, that raised similar concerns at the time. So both times that this legislation has been brought forward in this House it has not had the endorsement of the standing committee, of its oversight committee, which is significant because the role of the standing committee is to improve bills. Both times the passage of the legislation has been contentious to say the least. It has passed. But it was not unanimous. It was by no means unanimous and not just drawn on straight ideological lines. This is not a matter of left versus right or conservative versus progressive of carbon tax versus the economy is stupid. You know, this is a much broader issue where individuals on both the -- who are very concerned with the future of the climate are unhappy with our carbon tax regime and people who are concerned about affordability are unhappy with it. And they say you know, good public policy that results in compromise leaves everyone unhappy. But when it's this significant, I think we need to ask ourselves is it really working? And for me, the fundamental question is, is carbon pricing as designed, this made-in-the North system, reducing emissions? I've asked that question, and the answer is we can't tell you because we don't know. And it is a complicated question. There's many factors that affect the reduction of emissions, but we should be able to have some idea of how this pricing is working to meet its intended public policy.

The public policy goal of carbon pricing is not to provide rebates to Northerners. That's a choice, a policy choice, that's been made to ensure that the cost of living is not unduly burdened and we drive people out of the Northwest Territories. But I think if you talk to Northerners, and we all have because we only recently were talking to them to get the seats we have in this House today, they will tell you that these costs are becoming increasingly unaffordable. And it's not just the carbon tax. Of course it's the high cost of fuel. It's the high cost of food. It's the high cost of rents. It's the high cost of mortgages. Everything's going up across the board. And we are simply not meeting the needs of Northerners, which is creating incentives for them to leave.

So when we look at our carbon pricing regime, we have to ask what are we doing with this? And I think what we've heard through successive -- through this finance Minister, the previous finance Minister as well, that this has been forced on the Northwest Territories. No one wants this but we have to do it, so we're going to build our own system to shield Northerners from the costs. Yet we see our sister territory Nunavut, and our friends in Yukon as well, they allow the federal government to collect the tax, administer the tax to the federal backstop, and still control their own rebate systems. So what this bill proposes to do is exactly that. It's to put the -- it's to cut out the middleman and put the responsibility back in the hands of the people who imposed this carbon tax regime on the Northwest Territories in the first place.

And there are good reasons to consider -- to consider the federal system if folks are concerned that a repeal of our system would lead to catastrophic consequences. Under the federal backstop, 90 percent of revenues collected by the federal government are returned to individuals through rebate cheques. The federal rebate covers the direct carbon costs for 80 percent of households in this country. Approximately 70 percent of households receive more in tax rebates than they receive -- than they pay in carbon taxes, and the remaining 10 percent of that tax, the 90 percent that goes to individuals, 10 percent goes to fund efficiency projects for small businesses, schools, and hospitals in each province and territory. This -- those -- that's just an example of what it looks like on the tin.

Now, what I think we'll be able to have more of a spoke system that meets northern needs, that's why this bill was drafted expressly to leave the rebate system alone, and I know that some -- there are some critics of that. There are critics of the rebate system. But I think we can work on that as an Assembly together to fine tune it. But this bill represents a reset point where, again, we can put -- we can cut out the middleman, we can put the authority back in the hands of the federal government, of the Prime Minister, and he can defend this pricing system and work with our government to make it work for Northerners. I don't think if there's a change at the national level and this tax is repealed, I don't think there's anyone in this Chamber who is going to insist that we maintain our own. And to me, that doesn't speak as something that was created by Northerners for Northerners to meet northern priorities. That sounds like something that's been imposed on us. And if that's the way we feel about it, let's give it -- let's -- let's -- let's make the person responsible for it while we continue to direct the flow of revenue back into the rebate -- into the rebate programs that we've worked carefully to develop over the years. I believe this is possible. I don't believe we have such a poor relationship with the federal government that they will close the door on that initiative, and we won't be able to have those discussions.

I want to be clear, though, for those looking for an end to carbon pricing in the Northwest Territories, this bill will not achieve that. There's no -- because as soon as our tax goes, we'll be noncompliant with the federal legislation and the backstop will apply. There's no escaping carbon pricing, nor should there be. There should be a price on pollution. We live in a world that is irreconcilably affected by a changing climate. We just -- two-thirds of the Northwest Territories became climate refugees last summer. Our ice roads are unreliable. Like the mighty Mackenzie River is no longer reliable. Our forest fire seasons are -- have become catastrophic. It's not just here. It's in other places as well. But this is evidence of a changing climate, a climate that demands action. So I want to be clear in my support for this legislation and bringing it forward it is not a rebuke of climate -- of putting a price on pollution. But we have to put a price on pollution where it's not just a tax on people living in the Northwest Territories, where there's alternatives for low carbon options, low carbon fuels, low carbon technologies, that can allow Northerners to escape the tax and invest in something that can help -- that can help fight climate change. That's what we want. The technology's not -- just not there yet. And what this will have the effect is making sure people don't live here. And I don't think that's the goal. I don't think that's the goal of carbon tax. I know it's not the goal of carbon tax. It's to innovate. It's to create an environment where we can -- we can protect our climate and -- and, you know, do our part as individuals, as consumers.

So I would like to see us build something that works better, but I don't think we can continue on by continuing to demand exemptions as a government by having finance Ministers who consistently -- who insist that they'll repeal it if it's struck down at the federal level. That's not clear policy. It's confusing. It's muddled. We're not sure if we're supporting climate change. We're not sure if we're anti-carbon tax. We're just in this mushy middle. But we're one of only three jurisdictions that has their own system. Everyone else uses the federal backstop with either a -- the federal rebate program or their own rebate program. So, again, this bill is to provide policy clarity to the public, to our national partners, to our international partners, about who is responsible for carbon pricing and how we're going to administer it locally in the Northwest Territories.

And I want to be clear that I do -- I respect the work that my honourable colleague has done, the Minister of Finance, and I want her to be able to continue that work in partnership with Ottawa. But we need to give them the responsibility. We need to pass this legislation, hand the reins back to Ottawa so if there are changes in the future to the tax, whether it's repealed at the national level, whether there's a change to home heating fuel rebates, we're not waiting months for these things to happen, or we're not bringing back, you know, emergency debates to immediately strike it down. We can do this in a way that if there's changes at the national level, we're not mirroring them anymore. They just happen, and we just control the flow of the rebates. I think that's a much more neatly tied together system, and it clearly puts the responsibility back where it belongs with the federal government. And I call on this House to support this bill. Thank you very much

Bill 3: Carbon Tax Repeal Act, Carried February 28th, 2024

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Member for Member for Yellowknife Centre, that Bill 3, Carbon Tax Repeal Act, be read a second time.

This bill amends the Petroleum Products and Carbon Tax Act by removing existing taxation measures for the carbon tax and the definition of natural gas while enabling the Minister to provide grants for emissions reduction projects. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Motion 21-20(1): Taking Action to Address Housing as a Human Right, Carried February 28th, 2024

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to support this motion as well. I think the motion we just spoke to is a more general one about this Assembly, about the committees of this Assembly, about us working as one to realize housing is a rights-based approach to housing while this one is specifically aligned to government policies and programs and makes some very meaningful recommendations for reform to our housing legislation and operations that I think will bear good fruit in ensuring that housing is, in fact, a human right in the Northwest Territories. I look forward to the government's response. I think we'll get clarity on how far they're willing to move on this. But I think these are practical solutions that build on what's already been established that give statutory authority to ad hoc bodies that are currently operating and will give much needed clarity to this fundamental issue of housing in the Northwest Territories. I'm very pleased to support it, and I thank the Member for bringing this forward. Thank you.

Motion 20-20(1): Affirming Housing as a Human Right, Carried February 28th, 2024

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to rise in support of my honourable friend, the Member for Deh Cho's motion. I think what's significant about this is it's not just an affirmation to declare housing a priority or housing important but housing as a fundamental right of Northerners. And this is very significant because taking a rights-based approach to the issue of housing would give new clarity to how fundamental it is to our citizens and, in particular, to Indigenous peoples who have struggled with a lack of affordable, suitable, and adequate housing for a very long time. And this is a perennial issue that led to the creation of the housing forum and increased collaboration, not just with this government but with the federal government as well. And I hope that we will be able to use this motion as the springboard to look into how all of our policies as the Government of the Northwest Territories address housing and whether or not they're addressing it adequately because taking a rights-based approach is very different than a -- you know, a privileged-based approach, let's say; an approach that says, you know, if you meet the criteria you can afford this program, we'll subsidize your housing or social housing or a rental supplement or whatever it happens to be. But instead to say we need to give everyone a home, we need to ensure everyone is housed, and we cannot -- we cannot bear to see people who are unhoused, and I think this motion's very important to start our journey as the 20th Assembly towards meeting that priority that we've all set collectively and achieving a more equitable and prosperous future because housing, of course, is not just for individuals. It's also for industry. It touches every aspect of what we -- of our communities, of our economy, and of our social fabric. So I'm very pleased to support this. And I thank my honourable friend for bringing it toward, and I will be voting to support this motion. Thank you.

Tabled Document 56-20(1): Statement of Consistency for Bill 3: Carbon Tax Repeal Act February 28th, 2024

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the Statement of Consistency for Bill 3: Carbon Tax Repeal Act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Written Question 5-20(1): Municipal Funding Gap February 28th, 2024

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the 19th Assembly the Government of the Northwest Territories increased supports to communities and municipalities to reduce the municipal funding gap by $5 million; however, the government has not made the analysis of the municipal funding gap publicly available. With the rates of inflation and rising costs of goods and services, how do we know that $5 million has addressed the funding deficit?

My questions are for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs:

  1. Can the Minister provide the current value of the overall municipal funding gap for the Northwest Territories;
  2. Can the Minister indicate the portion of the total funding gap caused by inflation;
  3. Can the Minister breakdown the total value of the municipal funding gap by community;
  4. Can the Minister provide a further breakdown by community of the funding provided under all three Municipal and Community Affairs funding streams, community public infrastructure, water and sewer, and operations and maintenance, compared to the analysis on community need; and,
  5. Can the Minister provide an analysis on the updated community funding policies and how that will address the funding gaps identified government?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.