The next legislative session isn’t until the end of the month, but already the territory’s regular MLAs are preparing themselves.
All 11 of them have spent the past three days in Behchoko, approximately 100 kilometers from Yellowknife, for a strategic retreat.
Kam Lake MLA Kieron Testart says it’s been a useful exercise as members get ready for another session.
“It’s always important that we have an effective team going into the legislative session and this is just an opportunity for us to take stake of the issues we’ve heard since our last sitting,” he said.
“It’s important to have these strategic retreats so that we can hear from each other and work more effectively with one another when we do sit in the House.”
Items discussed already included the state of NTCL and the idea of a carbon tax being implemented in the Northwest Territories.
But Testart says his top priority heading into the next session will be the economy, which has been hit hard lately with news of Diavik laying off 51 workers and Dominion moving its corporate office out of Yellowknife.
With budget sessions on the horizon, Testart says the time to invest in the economy is now.
“With the budget session looming, it’s time for a real plan for growth and a real plan for investment,” he said. “We need a government that’s willing to invest.”
The next legislative session begins Jan. 31.
