Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Premier and they follow up on the issue of contracts let at the ministerial level to prior Ministers and high-level government officials.

Recent revelations on the practices of sole-source contracting point out an absence of definition in contracting and verification of deliverables, poor or meaningless justifications for granting contracts on a sole-sourced basis, a lack of consideration or ignorance of possible conflicting interests of contractors, very slow disclosure of contracting activity, weakness of restrictions on acceptance of contracts...

I appreciate those comments from the Minister. I’m glad to hear he’s out there and becoming aware of this issue. That’s certainly the place to start. In fact, the Territorial Farmers’ Association have indicated to us that better communication with the Minister and the department would help them build on the opportunities that may be out there.

The Minister has indicated that he could approach land claim governments that are negotiating land claims through the interim land agreements that are in place right now. And that’s what we’re all about here today, Mr. Speaker, is developing the political...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on the questions from my colleague Mrs. Groenewegen. Agriculture obviously presents many opportunities for good jobs that last for generations, are sustainable, provide local employment, they have lots of economic spinoffs in construction, transportation, the service industry and so on. The question of land remains as a big issue and apparently the only opportunity that’s readily available is municipal lands.

We met with the Territorial Farmers’ Association. They need to know what lands are available, what lands had been zoned agriculture and what...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Determined individuals and groups are working to build agriculture as a new sector in the NWT economy. Success has been variable but increasing overall. Egg production is well established in Hay River and the farmers at Paradise Gardens produce a wide range of vegetables, fruit and meat products for local markets. Many recall the days of yore when fields of grain crops grew in Fort Simpson. Gardens throughout the Mackenzie Valley supply communities and schools. The Cunninghams ran commercial gardens in Yellowknife and everyone, including trappers like my colleague’s...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will be supporting this motion. First I would like to recognize the good fortune this government has of having a Conflict of Interest Commissioner with the experience, qualifications and wisdom Mr. Gerrand exemplifies and of having the opportunity to call upon an equally esteemed individual such as Mr. Ted Hughes for the duties of an adjudicator when one is called for.

The Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act provides the legislation and guidelines for conduct of Members of the Legislative Assembly in relation to conflict of interest and maintaining public...

Of course, this is a territorial-wide issue, it’s not just those communities. My understanding is that, indeed, the City of Yellowknife, for example, has already put up significant dollars and is willing to do more there, but I was ruled out of order on Friday for speaking about both 911 service and a cell phone ban. So I will now ask the most important question equally critical to both examples. How can the Minister justify the failure to protect the health and safety of the majority of citizens in these two cases when all the evidence of need, feasibility, economy, public desire and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Many NWT residents spend time in our larger population centre from time to time and, in fact, of course, the Minister spends a great deal of time in Yellowknife each year. I’ve got a challenging question for him. I know from time to time he’s here with his family members and so on. Can the Minister, perhaps even with the help of his colleagues, tell us what numbers you’d call in Yellowknife to contact the police, to contact the fire department and to call an ambulance? Thank you.

I would ask why the Minister isn’t on top of the details, but I’m sure we would hear nothing and use up a lot of time in response. I would like to know, Mr. Speaker -- the increase in the budget for the centre that has happened over the years is pitiful compared to the forced growth increases in this government over the last five years alone -- what is the Minister doing to address this shortfall and to start providing real support in terms of real costs that are being dealt with in dealing with real human lives? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Every night up to 23 women find shelter from violent and abusive homes. If there were no Centre for Northern Families, these victims would have nowhere to go. We can imagine the financial and human cost of their being trapped in dangerous situations.

Just putting these people in a $100 per night hotel room would cost the GNWT more than twice the $409,000 in annual funding provided by the GNWT. I would like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services if she can tell me what contingency plan and at what cost is being put in place to replace the programs and services...

Thank you, colleagues. This also raises the larger issue of the current child and family services review. Informed input from the Centre for Northern Families and other advocacy groups are critical to the success of that review. If we want good new law, we need the best experienced advice we can get. I will be asking the Minister what resources she intends to make available to the Centre for Northern Families and others to help them prepare a detailed, well researched input on the basis of the terms of reference just adopted by the House. Mahsi.