Weledeh

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 6th Session (day 5)

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I did want to say that I recognize this is a substantial carry-over, but I recognize also that I think we had a very substantial amount, I think over half a billion dollars, of infrastructure last year that we were taking on and the actual proportion moving forward is relatively modest. Nevertheless, because it’s such a large amount, it is a lot of work that hasn’t got done.

Just homing in on one specific here, I’d like to focus on the Dettah access road reconstruction. I’m happy to see that we’ve been able to carry over and carry forward the dollars for this project...

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 6th Session (day 5)

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The proposal is to deal with the three tabled documents. Does committee agree?

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 6th Session (day 5)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks for those comments from the Minister. I’d like to just confirm, I appreciate that the Minister is taking a close look at the report that’s been done, doing an analysis with respect to the NWT specifically. Would the Minister provide the results of his analysis of this report NWT-specific comments to us, to the committee?

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 6th Session (day 5)

Thanks to the Minister. I appreciate that he does feel the same way as many of our colleagues do about this issue. I’ll look forward to that response. I won’t ask when, but I’m hoping he can do that as soon as possible, given the urgency of this issue.

Timeliness of patient transfer and treatment is obviously the core concern in this issue and I’m sure many Members here have been told of cases where minutes have made the difference in their personal survival and those of their family members. In fact, in the last three hours, Mr. Speaker, I’ve a spoken to two individuals who say they would not...

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 6th Session (day 5)

Mr. Speaker, I want to express my support for the Coalition Against Family Violence’s recent recommendations for the Phase III Action Plan.

Since the 2003 creation of this government-NGO partnership with 21 key participants, impressive efforts have been made towards reducing family violence, the phase 1 and 2 action plans that provided the roadmap for coordinated work across governments and society. The approach is applauded as inclusive and effective. Yet, Mr. Speaker, still the problem grows worse.

With the phase 2 action plan coming to an end in March 2012, the coalition partners have...

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 6th Session (day 4)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m not talking about groups, I’m talking about people with real experience. I would just like to say a personal note, Mr. Speaker. I’ve recently become a proud great-uncle for the second time.

---Applause

My nephew and his wife report the following experience: With her first baby and under the care from a midwife, benefits were clear. With the second baby and no care from a midwife, they were in hospital on repeated occasions. My niece reports these hospital visits would not have happened had she been under the same midwifery care as with her first child.

Mr. Speaker...

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 6th Session (day 4)

The Minister says she is serious, but her written reply to my question goes on to say that the now 2011-12 analysis will be brought forward for the 2013-14 year business plans. Review promised this year, now in the coming year, not even in the business plans until the second year after that, Mr. Speaker.

The Minister has almost carried this baby to full term…

---Laughter

...the full term of this Assembly. Why does she think expanded midwifery should go into the incubator for yet another year before we even see it in the business plans?

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 6th Session (day 4)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Budget sessions are always the most demanding and we’ve covered much ground over the past few several weeks. A review of these issues before breaking will serve us well.

We’ve made progress in law. We have set in motion the critical actions in the review of the Child and Family Services Act. There have been important revisions to the Dog Act. There have been modest improvements in our controls over Members’ post-term activities and we’ve started on the Heritage Fund.

The debate on the social ills has dominated this session and with good reason. The issues of family...

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 6th Session (day 4)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to speak to the principle of this bill. This bill is very late in coming, Mr. Speaker, but it is highly desirable and provides an important opportunity to begin capturing some lasting benefits from the exploitation of our richest resources, an opportunity we have simply not had in the past.

The bill has, however, a key shortcoming, and that includes that it fails to directly connect building the Heritage Fund to the exploitation of our resources as they are exploited and shipped afar. This bill leaves this role to future legislators and that, in my opinion...

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 6th Session (day 4)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This motion suggests yet another way to skin the cat; an alternative to dropping the affordable housing threshold from 30 percent to 25 percent of gross income as proposed in another motion passed in the House this winter. This motion again recognizes the special considerations needed for our small communities where employment rates are devastatingly low.

I would like to compliment my colleagues for this innovative idea and request that the government clearly hear that our housing policies in this area are not working. New policies such as this motion proposes are...