Bob Bromley

Thank you, Madam Chair. Welcome to the Member for Sahtu and his proposed legislation. I think the first relevant fact for me is we’re talking about the sale of a government-controlled substance. So this is already sort of beyond the course of normal business. So we are used to specific regulations and guidance being put forward on controlled substances like liquor. I thought it was very interesting. I was not on the committee and I did not travel, but I’ve been listening closely to the committee and found it interesting that they found considerable merit in both the pros and cons to the...

If we’re going to make progress on this, we need to be able to define what we think success looks like and find a way to measure it.

Could the Minister explain how the department currently defines and measures success in terms of addictions treatment? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on my Member’s statement from earlier today. Of course, we’re focusing on treatment for alcohol and drug addictions, so my questions will be for the Minister of Health and Social Services. We’ve heard the Minister explain in the past that there are many options for treatment in the South. Could the Minister explain how the department selects these addictions treatment centres? In other words, how does the department decide which are eligible and which are not?

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just to note that this concern was repeatedly raised with the Minister during a review of this act, the need to develop a truly collaborative process and to provide an opportunity for everybody to hear the same information so that when decisions were made, there was some transparency on why they were made in the way that they’re made, and also to provide a critical opportunity for everybody to have input to all of the decision-makers. As it currently stands, the input would be made to the Minister on issues that would not even be clear, because not all management...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I also would like to join my colleagues in saying that a massive amount of work has been done towards this legislation and I would like to compliment the Minister and his staff on their efforts and attempts to deal with and wrestle with, really, the considerable shortcomings of past work. I’d also like to acknowledge our chair and colleagues on the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure which have also had many prolonged discussions and fruitful consultations with people across the Northwest Territories. Thanks to all of those. Those have been...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I hope the Minister does understand that there is a standing offer from constituents to assist the Minister. They know where this person is. The Weledeh residents have been asking for something to be done about this all summer, so we have lost a summer of swimming and picnicking and so on. Can we expect it to continue all winter as well?

What is the current status of the process of removing this trespasser? And, incidentally, the log structure that is in the ice just to the North is a dangerous barrier to travel during the dark parts of the winter. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister for that. This is a favourite spot for families to gather for picnics, to swim and to walk their dogs throughout the winter, or should I say, they used to do those things.

Would the Minister be able to explain how or if this jurisdiction arrangement will change with devolution? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize our past mayor of Yellowknife and resident of Weledeh, past mayor Gordon Van Tighem. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Again, this has been an issue that has been raised quite extensively. There are a couple of components to it. One is safety and the other is conservation. As we know from our situation with caribou, we’re faced with the need to stipulate male or female caribou when harvesters are out, be they Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal, so everybody needs that. So this has conservation implications as well as safety implications. It goes, obviously, well beyond the normal course of things dealt with in land claims.

I guess my question would be: Why do we need an exemption in the...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Clause 15, unfortunately, is where we start running into problems in the act. Again, I’m generally supportive of this clause except that – again, as poor old Art tried to get collaboration and so on – unfortunately, it’s collaboration between just a select group here. I want to recognize again, very plainly, that I acknowledge and respect those who have decision-making authority for wildlife management. We need a process again, a one-tenth process, to enable everybody to hear the same information, otherwise this becomes a divisive process.

In clause 16 – and I refer to...