Bill Braden

Mr. Speaker, could the Minister advise what performance measures or what indicators of performance? Is it going to be meeting its objectives? How is this new council going to be measured for its success? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I am afraid I am going to have to use my second question to repeat my first one. What are the issues or the problems that require the creation of yet another governing body in support of recreation? I would really like to know why this organization has to be brought forward. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Sport and recreation and healthy lifestyles are more and more critical to our society, to the health of our population, to our enjoyment of this great land. We have many wonderful and successful partnerships in this between governments at all levels, between businesses here in the Northwest Territories, and, of course, a huge body of very dedicated and committed volunteers. Over time, though, Mr. Speaker, we have seen a number of different bodies come into existence and be recognized by government for some part or other in the sport and recreation milieu. There are, I...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I will look forward to that. Tabling it is a very good gesture. It extends to the public a message that we welcome their input into it as well. I would leave with one final comment. If a proposal comes before the Board of Management that we are going to pay for parking out of money that is earmarked for cultural enhancement, then I will steadfastly oppose it. If we are going to be serious about parking and we are going to be serious about culture, then we can find that there is a distinction between the two of them. That I am sure will come along in future...

Thank you for that information. Mr. Speaker, this annual review of the cost of a furnished two-bedroom apartment, how is that review done? Is it done independently of people in the Legislative Assembly here? Who is commissioned for that work? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to item 19. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

One of the things we all cope with in this age of technology is information overload. One of the prime duties of a good consultation and communication program is editing and narrowing the message, clarifying the questions. In this light, we also have all sorts of existing programs going on that are constantly being asked about or looked at in terms of evaluating. I would like to ask in this context, what kind of process or formula does the government use to monitor and check on existing programs and policies to make sure we are on the right track?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Premier this afternoon some questions in his capacity as the leader of the Executive. It’s about the general area of consultation and communication across the NWT. Mr. Speaker, in the last few days, I have asked various Ministers questions on topics including the national child benefit supplement and workers’ compensation. We are hearing this afternoon about consultation on Housing Corporation business. What I have heard is Ministers are reluctant to take issues out and get a sense of what kind of program policy should be developed. They said...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that information. I am going to see that I get a couple more details on this. How many people are involved in this? Is there a budget figure given? The point I am getting at, Mr. Speaker, is that existing organizations, and especially the territorial sporting organizations, are concerned that meagre levels of resources are going to be further eroded by this new organization. I don’t want to take away from the purposes the Minister has outlined. But I am looking for some securities and some stability so that our existing organizations are...

Thank you. In the notes here in the main estimates, Mr. Chairman, there is no reference to any particular budget line that may be devoted to starting the implementation, and I'm wondering if the Minister might be able to speak at least on his department for what budgetary measures are anticipated to help get this strategy going. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.