David Krutko

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to talk about the high cost of energy in our communities and the high cost of power, especially in diesel communities, and the continued rise in regard to diesel and in regard to the effect it will have on our power rates, home heating fuel and, more importantly, on this government’s ability to provide programs and services.

Mr. Speaker, we have a public application process for riders, yet we just saw a major increase in that last application process. It is costing the government something like $2 million every time we file an application through the...

Moving on to page 1-23, Activity Summary, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Operations Expenditure Summary: $374,000. Mr. Hawkins.

Does the committee agree that the Minister bring his witnesses?

Page 1-10, Revenue Summary, information item. Mr. Abernethy.

Moving on to page 1-29, Activity Summary, Statutory Officers, Grants and Contributions, Contributions: $420,000.

Legislative Assembly, Activity Summary, Statutory Officers, Grants and Contributions, Contributions: $420,000, approved.

I’d like to ask the Minister of Finance: is there going to be some sort of a caretaker in place to look at the Inuvik Health Board review similar to what happened here in Stanton, where you basically point at someone to do the review independent of the CEO or the board, so you can get to the bottom of exactly why it is that we are continuing to run these deficits year after year?

People are running in deficit situations. Like I say, for me, we raise issues in this House time and time again in regard to health care services positions that we assume should have been in a community’s mental health...

Mr. Lovely.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Sergeant-at-Arms, could you escort the witness out, please.

The next item we need to deal with is Bill 9, which is Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 4, 2007–2008. At this time I’d like to ask the Premier if he’d like to make some general comments to introduce the bill.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Welcome, witnesses. I’ll allow for general comments. General comments? Detail?

With that, we can move to page 17, Legislative Assembly, Department Summary: $15.364 million, which we will defer until the end of our discussions.

Moving on to 1-8, Legislative Assembly, information items, Active Positions — By Region.

Legislative Assembly, Department Summary, Active Positions — By Region, information item, approved.

The director of Corporate Services, Mr. Lovely.