Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that, on Friday, October 29, 2010, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that this Legislative Assembly urges the Government of Canada to reverse its decision to eliminate the mandatory “long-form” census questionnaire. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That’s good to hear. My last question, which you might be able to guess here, is: Will the Minister commit to -- I’m harking back to my first question on beginning perhaps the long process to consider recognition of an additional language -- sitting down and meeting with the chiefs of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation and myself to discuss what a process might look like? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, for the record, I, too, am very proud of those 11 official languages. I thank the Minister for those remarks on the process to get this done.

As the Minister knows, the true test of support programs is the ability to deliver timely support to the place where it can be used best. For a grassroots program, we know that it is really at the community level. I have described a situation where funding for the Yellowknives Dene Community Language Program is filtered through the Tlicho and Akaitcho governments’ administrative structures and there have been several problems described. The...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My statement today focuses on supporting the vitality of the Weledeh language and the need for flexible and effective language support programs.

Akaitcho people in my Weledeh riding don’t speak Tlicho or Chipewyan. They speak Weledeh, which is a unique amalgam of the two languages. The Yellowknives Dene First Nation has long been on the record calling for official recognition of Weledeh and I support this aspiration.

Weledeh speaking elders talk about the confusion that results when it is assumed that Tlicho translation can stand in for Weledeh translation. One recalled...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’d like to start by really acknowledging the superior level of support we had in putting this report together. I’d like to start with our research staff. We had Regina Pfeifer, Robin Stewart and Lee Selleck, all of whom put their stamp into this work and went beyond the call. The Clerk’s office contributed hugely and I’d like to recognize the committee clerk, Gail Bennett, who is very professional and thorough in her support with a keen eye for the detail that’s required to do a good job here. My colleague, MLA for Great Slave, Glen Abernethy put the motion on the...

That sounds imminently reasonable to me. I guess perhaps the statement “the total remediation costs for the building was estimated over one million dollars” would more accurately read “the total replacement cost for this building.” I would just ask the Minister if he would check that and confirm that. I’ll leave it at that.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Sorry; can I just confirm that we’re on forest management? Is that correct?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Finance from whom I received the written reply to my written question of May 19th regarding the cost to this government of supporting the Mackenzie Gas Project.

In my question, I asked the cost by year during the 16th Assembly for costs such as (b) travel and receptions by Ministers, MLAs and other officials, (c) staff positions and contractor services, and (d) communications, planning promotional events, publicity and advertising.

The tabled response I received, however, is inadequate and almost evasive. It does not supply the costs...

Thank you for those remarks. I understand that and I guess I would just ask the Minister to consider a little research in this area and provide that research results to our businesses, our tourism operators, so they are operating with full information there. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I do support Bill 9. I came to that support through the process that’s been outlined and the participation of many. I want to express appreciation to those who did contribute in the process and the considerable input we had, especially from small businesses and entrepreneurs, many of whom are currently very much struggling now in the face of our low caribou populations.

I just want to point out or comment or observe that our local resident businesses have, on the whole, been extremely responsible and have not been, sort of, the source of the angst that has generated this...