Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Transportation. I recognize that the Minister is quite new to this position, and I’d like to start by offering my congratulations, and I hope he’s ready to get on with things in his new role. My questions are on the issue of public highways and what happens when resource exploitation puts extra pressure on them. My constituents on the Ingraham Trail are concerned that the secondary winter road to the diamond mines may not be built this year. They are concerned that this will cause an increase in truck traffic on the Ingraham...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last night I attended, as did the Member for Frame Lake, an event sponsored by the local chapter of the Council of Canadians, a national non-profit group supported not by governments or corporations, but by individual citizens in Canada. The event featured a talk by Maude Barlow, national chairperson of the council.

Maude Barlow is an amazing person, the recipient of 11 honourary doctorates and untold awards and recognitions. She recently served as the United Nations first senior advisor on water issues. During this term, in July 2010, through Resolution 64/292, the...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to thank all involved for bringing this legislation forward. This really addresses a very serious issue that at its most serious, of course, can lead to severe consequences, most extreme would be suicide. It’s a national concern, but it is a concern, as well, in every community.

What is the role of schools and our educational system dealing with bullying is the question, given that they have considerable responsibilities already for educating our youth. I know there has been considerable discussion on that and I appreciate that.

Schools and the education system...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the opportunity to bring this motion forward with my colleague Mr. Yakeleya.

We’ve all heard now about the recent assessment of the Quebec model of daycare, the benefits it has enabled and the positive return on the investments financially, socially and economically. We also know this system is not really universal and is not perfect, yet it’s been a hugely positive factor in the social and economic progress of this jurisdiction.

The Scandinavian examples, when you examine them, speak clearly of the success these longer and comprehensive programs have enjoyed...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the Minister has captured it here. There is a lot of confusion, which is what I said. There is a lot of opposing information. That’s exactly what I’m looking for, is a timeline. Right now, as I said, this is buried in the fine print of the so-called action plan. I’m looking for a commitment to get this done within all the details that the Minister has mentioned, various programs that are out there, the conflicting information. We need leadership to penetrate this haze and come up with a clear, informed decision. That is what I’m asking for. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Minister. That is exactly my point. We have not resolved this question for decades. We halfway supported our institutions. We have allowed them to fail because we haven’t had the commitment to either make them work or focus somewhere else. Currently, it’s totally buried in the fine print of the strategy.

Will he bring the focus needed to resolve this question? Bring it to the House and let us know the timeline and how he is going to go about this. I would like to hear him commit to that during this session. The day has come. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can confirm that residents, based on 15 years of real experience, are very concerned. I hope the Minister also becomes concerned about this.

Could the Minister please explain how that same philosophy that industry should contribute to the cost of roads they are using and degrading, how has that been applied in the case of the new Inuvik to Tuk all-weather road? How will industry contribute? Mahsi.

Thanks to the Minister for that response. I’m glad to hear he’s all over the safety issue. That’s number one, of course, and that happens with this increased traffic now on the Ingraham Trail.

I’m sad to hear confirmation that the secondary road will not be built and I hope the Minister will look into working with industry to see if he can get them to put it in. We do a number of things, because, I mean, it’s clear that this damage does happen with truck traffic. Any resident out there and the Department of Highways can tell you. We do things in a number of different ways up here. The winter...

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Mr. John Stephenson, chair of the YK 1 and resident of Weledeh. Also, Simon Taylor, chair of the Yellowknife Catholic School Board, and some of the staff here today. Also, the residents of Weledeh, Jacob Schubert, one of our Pages today. Thanks to all the Pages for the service they are providing. I believe I heard John Stewart was in the gallery. I can’t always see behind me here, but another resident of Weledeh. I understand Roy Erasmus is in the crowd. I’m very happy to see him and any other folks that are returning for our celebration coming up here...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to make a very brief comment. This bill represents a big effort to date, as the Minister has said, but still leaves the public hanging on a number of issues that should properly be dealt with in the legislation.

It’s an important improvement over past efforts and I congratulate the Minister on that. Unfortunately, it is not an impressive piece of legislation, other than its length and its propensity for unnecessary and confusing detail. While I wish I could support it, I cannot in good conscience endorse it. Fundamentally, the bill is unnecessarily...