David Ramsay

I think if there’s one company charging a 25 cent surcharge on any call originating in the Northwest Territories, to me that’s called a monopoly. I don’t know what other word to use. Doesn’t our government have an obligation to go to bat for our residents when it comes to one company charging 25 cents a minute for people to call their loved ones overseas? I’d like to ask the Minister -- I know he said his officials are looking into this -- when might we be able to hear back from consumer protection on what the government’s next move might be? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to bring up an issue today that has been brought up to me by constituents. Yellowknife is a very culturally diverse city. Our population of Filipinos, Japanese, Somalis, Chinese and other immigrant populations continues to flourish. I like to refer to Yellowknife as a cultural mosaic when describing it to those unfamiliar with our capital city. In my travels to communities like Hay River and Inuvik, you can also see the changes in the cultural dynamics of those two towns.

When making the decision to move to Canada, families can, and do, get separated by thousands...

Yes, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Speaker, I’ve got no reason to believe that this isn’t happening. I’ve used these cards myself and there is a discrepancy between the minutes you get in the Northwest Territories when you dial the supposed toll-free number and what you get when you’re in southern Canada. I’d like to ask the Minister if the government, I guess it would depend on the findings of consumer protection, but would the government or can the government write a letter to the CRTC suggesting that the CRTC have a look at the ongoing issue with the surcharge to calling cards here in the Northwest Territories? Thank you...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Getting back to my Member’s statement, I have questions for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, who happens to be the Minister responsible for consumer protection.

It’s come to my attention from a constituent about calling cards which are sold in the Northwest Territories that do not allow the same level of service for a similar card, an exact same card sold in southern Canada. In fact, there’s a 25 cent surcharge tacked on to the minutes for using these cards. I’d like to ask the Minister if he knows why calling cards in the Northwest Territories sold at...

I guess if the Minister is going to get that information, I’d like to know, given the fact that that’s an institution, I mean the flooring that would go into a facility like that should be of a grade and a quality that’s going to stand the test of time and not need to be replaced six or seven years out. So maybe if the Minister could find out if there is any kind of warranty or any kind of provision for whoever put it in to help in the replacement cost of it, that would be great. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to raise an issue today that I believe is something this government cannot continue to ignore. This issue is the impending closure of the City Centre Airport in Edmonton.

The City Centre Airport receives approximately 4,500 medevac flights per year from northern Alberta, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. About 1,000 of these flights originate in the Northwest Territories. Of the 1,000 flights, typically 10 percent are of a critical nature. The Cross Cancer Clinic, Stollery Children’s Hospital and other health facilities at the University and Royal Alexandra...

I guess, if I could, I’d like to see us, you know, we’ve got 16 months left to try to get as much of this money out there as we possibly can in the next 16 months and get it working for the people and the economy here in the Northwest Territories. Maybe if the Minister could just comment on whether or not the government believes that the majority of our capital plan, what remains in the capital plan including the carry-overs will be concluded prior to October 2011. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, I thought I heard the Minister say, fits into the research agenda, but this new science agenda that the Government of the Northwest Territories has come up with, just so I am clear, this does fit in with that and this is a new way of doing business for the Government of the Northwest Territories so that we don’t just lose the information to universities in southern Canada and it can be kept in the Northwest Territories for our own use. Thank you.

I guess there are a lot of complexities to the… You don’t just bring these employees under the GNWT’s banner overnight, but it’s been something that’s been talked about for a number of years and I think the government probably should be taking a look at it. I’m just wondering, from a budgeting perspective, wouldn’t it be easier if these employees were Government of the Northwest Territories employees? Thank you.