Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to item 5 on the Order Paper.

---Unanimous consent granted.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to start by recognizing the commitment made by the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, which I very much appreciated and encouraged me to get this motion going with the good support of my colleague Mr. Yakeleya.

In summary, this motion is all about controlling the high cost of living. It’s about building strong minds and bodies. All of this while being environmentally responsible. What it takes is a small, low-cost investment for returns on all these fronts: social, economical, and environmental.

So I want to thank everybody for their support and...

WHEREAS the Government of the Northwest Territories has recently expanded the NWT Beverage Container Program to now include milk and milk substitutes and liquid milk and milk substitutes product containers;

AND WHEREAS Members of the 16th Legislative Assembly have identified a vision and goals for the Northwest Territories that references healthy, educated people with a focus on prevention by promoting healthy choices and lifestyles;

AND WHEREAS the NWT Food Guide clearly identifies the need for children and adolescents to consume up to four servings of milk or milk substitutes each day to aid...

I am talking about public interest. I’m talking about this government representing the public and getting a deal that will support our economy. Yes, we’ve done good work on that project. The problem is the front-end thinking is missing. Where is the public interest? I have a feeling there are all kinds of organizations lining up to partner with the Government of the Northwest Territories. I mean, how could they not enjoy the millions? Everybody else seems to be. So I’m saying where is the front-end thinking, Mr. Speaker? Where is the vision?

We’re talking hydro, we’re talking a 50-year time...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to follow up on my Member’s statement earlier today. With the money being spent on Taltson, we could have built Lutselk’e and Whati mini-hydros, had them half paid for and started community residents on 50 years of reduced power costs. Instead, we have a plan for building the world’s longest extension cord to a dead end with a one-industry client base. This is the kind of sound management that put us on a $180 million hook for a bridge. Why has the shareholder -- that’s us -- permitted the Hydro Corporation to pursue any system development without an...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since we are recognizing ghostly visitors today, I’d like to recognize Amanda Peterson, a constituent of Weledeh and her mother Margaret Peterson, well-known and respected North Slave outfitters. In particular, I would like to recognize Kaitlyn Menard and Emily Smith, a couple of Pages, for their long service in the House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to speak plainly and seek a straightforward conversation about the Minister of Health’s program to develop a new Supplementary Health Benefits Program.

We left this issue over 12 months ago, because basic research had not been done to provide a basis for the government’s decision and approach. MLAs and the public asked that initial research be done and then a meaningful consultation be started. We naively anticipated that research would take a few months, information would come out, and then MLAs and the public could have a back-and-forth interaction with the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to table the Executive Summary of the Report of the Joint Review Panel for the Mackenzie Gas Project. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks for those comments from the Minister. I assume, then, she will be doing a second and third round of consultation taking that back with the implications of different selected thresholds.

On what basis does the Minister take a year -- that’s 12 months, Mr. Speaker -- to start producing the basic research into what should have been provided in the original effort 18 months ago, and then expect the public consultation to be done in six weeks? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to acknowledge the Minister of Health is not seeking to reduce the cost of supplementary health benefits, but costs are clearly rising. So I assume, at a minimum, she’s strongly motivated to control future costs whole providing the best benefits possible. I think that is what she was saying yesterday.

However, pharmaceuticals are clearly the single biggest driver of increasing costs. My question, Mr. Speaker: will the Minister commit to bringing back detailed options for reducing drug costs, including information on the proposed western province’s drug buying...