Bill Braden

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Many community organizations are working together to deal with family violence and drug issues. The Crack Busters program has the Tree of Peace and Salvation Army behind it. We have the Citizens on Patrol. We have the Community Wellness Coalition. Mr. Speaker, the message here is that there are community solutions to community problems if citizens take action, like constituents calling the RCMP. There are frontline service organizations, and I would certainly say there are MLAs to help get action. The message is we do not have to and we will not put up with drugs and...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move we report progress.

As an aside to it, I am not particularly attached to the amendment before us, Mr. Chairman, but does the board’s authority here -- and this seems quite appropriate, by the way -- require or demand any kind of community consultation when it goes about prescribing days and hours? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Clause 7 talks about an amendment to the Liquor Act. The essential intent of this is basically a clarification, as I understand it, to amend the act and clarify the board’s authority to make regulations respecting the days and hours of operation of a licensed establishment. I wonder if the Minister could give us a bit of background why this clarification was required, and what issue or kind of concern may have come forward that caused this. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the welcome pieces of information that we got when we visited the RCMP detachment a few weeks ago was that there is going to be much more involvement of the Victims Services Program in the whole policing regime. Are we able to handle, through this Victims Services Program, our current workload, and what’s our capacity to handle what is likely to be an increased workload for the Victims Services Program? Thank you.

Merci beaucoup, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions this afternoon are for the Minister of Justice, and they are in relation to community policing in Yellowknife. Mr. Speaker, the GNWT has a responsibility for contracting with the RCMP to deliver policing services across the Northwest Territories. The Yellowknife detachment has, for years, been recognized as chronically understaffed. The city has grown considerably and the complexity of crime and policing has also grown. I would like to ask the Minister, from his point of view, what progress has been made or what steps are underway right...

That’s all true, but, Mr. Speaker, by that same token, this program keeps a lid on all those families. It does not give them an extra margin that they could use, such as this program to get a bit ahead to make a difference in their life. It’s been argued that while the program does sustain families, it in fact imposes poverty.

Mr. Speaker, this question is going to stay on our agenda. I would like the Minister to provide some information. I am wondering if he could provide me today or in the near future how many income support clients would get their energy cost benefit clawed back and how...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the answer is yes, Mr. Speaker. Does the federal government put any conditions on territories or provinces such as ours that have this clawback policy that would ensure that this money, which is intended for all Canadians -- it’s something that all Canadians put into and the federal government is putting back -- cannot be clawed back?

Thank you, colleagues and Mr. Speaker. You know, along with the much welcome rebates that the federal government is proposing, I must make the case further that northerners bear the brunt of the weather and the cold climate more than most Canadians. Remember that 12 degree difference between Edmonton and Inuvik. I call on the federal government to take a real, good, hard look, a dollar and cents look, Mr. Speaker, at the true cost of living north of 60. This is not an original idea, but I think it’s one that we should bring forward, and we have a seven percent answer right now before us, that...

Mr. Speaker, the Minister in his previous answer indicated that if a family is on income support, we pick up the fuel bill for them. That’s right and a part of the program that I very much value. I can’t agree with the Minister when he suggested there is no other impact on those families. What about all the other things that they have to pay for which are going to be as a result of the higher costs of fuel across the board in our society? We talked about airlines. We know the taxi fares are going up. Canada Post, Mr. Speaker, already has a freight surcharge on parcels. I have to go back to...