Bill Braden

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to ask the Minister if he could provide some detail on these positions. I can’t ask questions on a motion, Mr. Chair? Okay. Well, then we’ll go with …

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Along I guess a similar line here, we're looking at a budget item for a heliport for the North Slave region at $537,000. Are we buying the helicopter too, Mr. Chairman? Perhaps my understanding of what's required for a heliport is a little short sighted on this, but a half a million dollars? From what I understand, a heliport is basically a landing pad. Maybe the Minister could assist me there, too, in the scope of this project.

Mr. Speaker, have we developed, along with these partners or in any context, any kind of targets or objectives that we want to try to achieve over a given period of time that would show that we’re actually getting somewhere, that we’re actually making some results? What are the targets and the objectives, Mr. Speaker?

Oh, I see. Well, there's some wild speculation going on over here, but perhaps the Minister could help out, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask a couple of questions of the Minister of Health and Social Services and it relates to the, as I said in my statement, the crushing burden of alcohol abuse in our society. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister just what emphasis does our current Addictions Strategy place on awareness and avoidance of alcohol abuse?

But I hope that perhaps the point has been made here, that just going out and continuing to buy and spend taxpayers' money on stuff that wears out and breaks down and doesn't get used potentially as much as it could have, there are options, as I asked about, with leasing, with getting the private sector to supply the service as and when needed, rather than investing taxpayers' money in this kind of capital expense. That's all, Mr. Chairman.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We are a society of binge drinkers, young drinkers and violent drinkers. The statistics in all these areas in the NWT are at or near the top of the charts of Canadian booze abusers. Our challenge, Mr. Speaker, it has been said many times and it has to be said over and over again, is to refuse to accept this type of behaviour any longer.

Mr. Speaker, there is a relatively new art or science in the way broad-based behaviours like this can be changed. It is called social marketing. It is something we have adopted in other areas. My colleagues have spoken in praise of the...

Thank you. I certainly appreciate the need for them. If there's a way of augmenting the equipment down there and getting the bridge open sooner and making it safe, that's great. But let's perhaps look at the bright side of things, Mr. Chairman. In two or three or maybe four years we're going to have a bridge. We're not going to need lite track vehicles or ice spray pumps. Instead of spending $625,000 for what would then be obsolete or unneeded equipment, would the department look at renting or leasing or getting the private sector to supply these services? Why do we have to invest this...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to know exactly what are we assisting or who are we assisting, what is this money actually performing or producing? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Madam Chair, the context of this is this is an absolutely essential initiative. In fact, we had a motion just yesterday that discussed items very much related to this. So here we are, it’s reflected to at least some degree, if not a very large degree, in this supp. There is $150,000 earmarked for a review of electricity regulation rates and subsidy programs. Madam Chair, by and large, our assessment in committee is this is an initiative that deals with very high level policy, very likely legislation and some fairly significant financial commitments over time. We felt that it would be far more...