Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I had become quite concerned when I learned about a 900 megawatt dam being proposed on the Peace River in British Columbia. It’s obvious that we’ve now learned there are massive impacts of previous dams to the Peace-Athabasca and the Slave River Delta and, of course, on down to the Mackenzie Basin. Apparently, according to the paper, we’re only getting notified of these sorts of things. Based on the record of the impacts of these sorts of things I’d like to know if the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources thinks that’s a sufficient position to be...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to begin today by marking the passing of a great Northerner: Archie Buckley. Many of us enjoyed the rich bounty of our fishery as a staple of our diets thanks to Archie. He was the personification of hard work and respectful, sustainable resource use. Archie Buckley lived what we talk about when we say local food for local people.

The spirit demonstrated by Archie Buckley is being carried on in the cooperative work of this community. I recently attended an event sponsored by Ecology North, the Northern Nutrition Association and the Yellowknife Community Gardens...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I appreciate those comments. I’d like to know: will we be providing support for efforts to ensure that treaty rights to water are supported and are assured in this process and what is the schedule looking like for our negotiations with the B.C. government on the transboundary agreement there? Thank you.

I’m happy to hear we’re doing more than what the newspaper reported and officials of the department reported as a wait-and-see approach. Obviously we already know from B.C. officials that the flow of the river is being shaped through this new project, or will be shaped, to service peak need periods such as winter. So this takes us away from the natural flow, which we now understand has major impacts on river systems and basins which have evolved to require those seasonal peaks and lows to maintain diversity and so on. So I’m wondering, will the Minister commit to a more active intervention...

It is everything from progressive taxation to agricultural land use plans, wise wildlife stewardship and land availability, from support to local food production enterprises and our school and early childhood development programs. Our local food producers’, our community gardeners’ and advocacy groups’ work demonstrate that much can be done to strengthen food security for all through partnership, building capacity, economic development and policy renewal. I congratulate this excellent work and look forward to full support from this government. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, there’s quite a disagreement both from the public and the Members here on the Minister’s perspectives on this. The Minister continually refers that we follow a system that’s a commonly used model in other parts of the country and so on. We’re not interested in that. We want to develop a specific system for the North.

Mr. Speaker, when I asked whether an analysis of the cost of administration had been made, the Minister replied, according to Hansard, “we will be going for RFP to find a service provider such as Blue Cross or any other insurance company. They are...

Thank you. Again the Minister has refused to answer the question. Why did she not respond favourably to the stakeholders panel she put together for inclusion of the Pharmaceutical Association? I also understand now about the five-day notice the department had to participate the in the Pharmaceutical Association’s AGM. The association actually invited the department quite early on in a timely way, but the department was very slow to reply. By the time the reply was received by the association office, only five days remained for the by then scheduled AGM, apparently a time too short for the...

Mr. Speaker, it gives me a great deal of pleasure to welcome my mother, Barbara Bromley, to the House, and her lifelong friend, of course, Ruth Spence. I would also like to recognize David Gilday, a resident of Weledeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Health says the intent of her supplementary health proposals is to address the issue of affordability. In fact, the reverse is true. Look at the $50,000 threshold. Remember, this is the net income threshold and not the after-tax income. After taxes, a $50,000 net income shrinks to $40,000 or $42,000. Someone buying their own drugs for catastrophic issues could easily spend the 25 percent required, or $12,500. That means their real income after taxes and drugs would plummet to under $35,000. This is before any basic needs are covered. That’s...

I would like to call Committee of the Whole to order. We have before us today Tabled Document 4-16(5), Tabled Document 30-16(5) and Tabled Document 38-16(5). What is the wish of the committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.