David Krutko

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think that’s the whole problem with these dollars that we’re being asked to approve here, because it does not really deal with the problem at hand, and more importantly, it does not basically justify spending this type of money on a process that, as you know, is flawed. When you have a flawed negotiated process, you’re going to have a flawed result.

I think that we have to realize that as important items such as devolution of the Northwest Territories that we as legislators, as government, have an obligation, regardless if it’s through a constitutional obligation or as a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of the Housing Corporation with regard to my Member’s statement and looking at alternatives and options to work with tenants that are finding themselves in situations of either being evicted or having arrears and finding ways. As the Minister should know, in most of our communities we have 45 percent unemployment. There are very few jobs to go around. I think as a department you should consider looking at what you can do to help these individuals work off their arrears by either simply cleaning, painting, or in some cases, like I...

Transportation, capital investment expenditures, airports, not previously authorized, $369,000.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. My questions are with regard to the executive operations of $2.2 million and the devolution process. I’m not really clear how to read it. It says to support transition and implementation. Usually implementation takes place after you have a final agreement. How can you be implementing something that you are still negotiating?

The other aspect of the resources is to provide Aboriginal participation in negotiations. Again, we are leaving out a large portion of our population on the Aboriginal participation in this process, as we all know. We have some 4,500 individuals being...

Deputy minister.

General comments, Ms. Bisaro.

So the $70,000, is that professional fees or is that actually given to each of the organizations to be represented on this panel that you’re talking about?

Can we move to page 5, Education, Culture and Employment, education and culture, not previously authorized, $9.709 million.

General comments. Next I have Ms. Bisaro and then Mrs. Groenewegen. Ms. Bisaro.

Mr. Chair, again, I think this process is too top heavy. It’s basically run out of Yellowknife. I think that you have to start doing workshops and having these meetings in the communities. I know in the Mackenzie Delta we have been requesting having a water conference and we have been talking about the Peel River watershed. There’s a major effort being made between the Yukon government and the Gwich’in Tribal Council to develop a land use plan for the Peel River watershed. Again, that’s another government in another jurisdiction and we seem to have a better relationship with the Yukon...