Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I’m hearing something different than I heard recently, that we don’t have an inventory and we can’t afford to make one, and that we have some indication of what’s legal, and that’s upwards of a couple hundred of unauthorized land users.

The Minister has indicated the mechanism for members of the public to report suspected squatters when they come across them in their travels across our commons is a worthwhile action, in my communications with the Minister. Such a simple instrument of capturing public capacity should be operational today in order...

I appreciate the Minister’s commitment there. Devolution certainly gave control of most of the lands of the NWT to the territorial government, but control is more than writing regulations – they sound good on paper, obviously – it is also having the ability and the will the Minister has expressed to enforce them. Unenforced regulations might as well not exist, as we’ve learned from our federal management experience.

What resources, money and people does the Minister plan to put into addressing the burgeoning enforcement issue in relation to these new regulations? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is also my pleasure to welcome certainly all of the Culture and Heritage Award recipients to the House, a very distinguished bunch of Northerners.

I’d like to in particular recognize a few people today: Weledeh constituent Pat Braden, and also Nicole Garbutt and her parents, John and Patti Garbutt of Weledeh.

I’d also like to recognize Janelle Nitsiza, who gave some very passionate words in response to her award today that touched many people, I know. I would like to recognize, in particular, her family who was there in support. Again, in particular, her grandmother...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to focus in, as well, on the rather extraordinary request for an additional $40 million this fiscal year, tens of millions of dollars the following fiscal year to be brought forward in our capital budget. We have already heard about unexpected expenditures of $50 million and $20 million. That’s $70 million. Possibly it’s more than that in our operating supp here today. Now we are pushing this $210 million, $230 million in unexpected expenditures at this moment in time and with the schedule proposed.

I ask myself two questions. The first is: Is this a prudent...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At long last, through their locally elected representatives and the government they direct, the people of the Northwest Territories have control over Territorial lands. The Land Minister’s recent announcement of his intent to develop a recreational leasing policy, perhaps even with teeth, is welcome.

In the absence of a transparent and publicly reviewed process on recreational leasing in the past, the public has been seeing ongoing loss of the commons, rewards to those who occupy lands illegally, a helter-skelter policy of leasing by the federal government and the...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am just wondering: I am not familiar with wildland fire engine. If I can get some understanding of that since I am supposed to be approving this budget. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I guess I would seek more clarity. There was a lot of fluff in that response. Some early consultation and then moving into consultations in 2015 and 2016 and rollout in 2015-2016. I’m not getting a warm and fuzzy feeling here. We’re looking for some steady progress here and I think the Minister knows that.

Can we expect April 1st of 2015 there will be some implementation happening on the ground in the Beau-Del? Mahsi.

Thank you. If memory serves – and I can always look this up – the schedule after Beau-Del, I believe, was to return to Yellowknife and the Tlicho, so ’15-16.

Can I assume that ’16-17 will be Yellowknife? Mahsi.

I would ask the Premier to reread that principle for himself in some nice quiet time when he can fully comprehend it. Being constantly aware of the principles that we all swore an oath to and honouring the spirit of those principles – just to be sure the Premier heard the spirit of those principles – require the commitment of all Members of this House, the commitment of all Members of this House.

Is the government committed to conducting the business of this House in the spirit of the 10 guiding principles of consensus government? Mahsi.

I appreciate the Premier’s explanation of their thinking as far as they got.

Regular Members of this House, of course, were caught by surprise by the announcement of this Cabinet largesse, learning about it the way most citizens of the NWT did: through the media.

Were any members of responsible committees meaningfully consulted or consulted at all on this latest $20 million subsidy Cabinet has come up with?