Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are to the Minister of Health and Social Services. The Minister has responded in writing to my previous oral questions on midwifery and the answers are not inspiring. The reply says, “analysis to develop an expanded NWT model of midwifery care will be undertaken in 2011-12.” Unfortunately, the exact same promise precisely mirrors a November 9, 2009, letter from the department’s deputy minister. That work was to be completed in three weeks, Mr. Speaker.

When is the Minister going to get serious on this? Is the work starting now? Next month? When is the work...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to speak briefly today to the principles upon which this bill is founded. First I want to recognize the long and complex process that has resulted in this bill’s presentation to the Assembly. The bill makes an effort to address and incorporate the new realities, not so new really, of constitutional and treaty rights of Aboriginal citizens with a new law reflecting the direction of constructive court decision. There has been earnest effort here and the Minister needs to be congratulated for pursuing the need to modernize our legislation. However, the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The key window of opportunity to feed the bodies and minds of our children and to support their brain development and their learning is their early years. The parents have a responsibility to feed their children properly, but as I have outlined in the House earlier and in my statements, they are not always able to meet that responsibility and there are many reasons for that. Do we want to let the children suffer the lifelong consequences of insufficient nutrition during their critical years, Mr. Speaker? Unfortunately, our lack of government action in response to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not debating the act itself. It is about consultation, Mr. Speaker.

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...

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?

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...

I think the Minister knows that the committee is highly supportive of this program but we sort of assume the basics are being covered. The one obvious target for information on this program is the Coalition Against Family Violence. That’s the starting point. I’m told the coalition was not informed of the existence of this program. That would be a key part of their strategy development. I’m asking this Minister how this could occur. Is there not a mechanism in place to ensure that your obvious partners are part of it?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Enormous environmental benefits could accrue if the Con Mine community energy system goes ahead. On carbon emissions reductions alone the project is a huge winner. The project will displace Yellowknife’s fuel oil consumption by seven million litres a year, providing a 17,000 tonne reduction in greenhouse gases. That’s the equivalent of taking half the vehicles in Yellowknife off the road. It also cancels the emissions from thousands of fuel haul trucks.

Emissions from buildings connected to the system, the largest buildings in the city, will drop by 95 percent...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’d like to speak principally to the elements of the bill dealing with contracting employment of Ministers and Members after they leave office. I’d like to begin by thanking the members of the independent commission and all the staff that have done considerable work towards putting this bill together and my colleagues for discussions we’ve had over it.

I’d like to go back to the public climate that focused attention on these matters. Members will remember particularly the case of two sole-sourced contracts with a total value of $225,000 awarded to two former Ministers...