David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to continue speaking today about economic development and opportunities here in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, I serve as chairman on the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure, a position I take very seriously. Our people need opportunities for training and employment that will lead to an increase in the quality of life for our residents here in our Territory. As a government, we have an obligation to pursue opportunities that may present themselves. Also, we must actively seek out other potential opportunities to grow our economy...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Bill 5, An Act to Amend the Commissioner’s Land Act, includes an amendment that requires anyone leasing Commissioner’s land for commercial or industrial use to post security to cover the cost of restoration of the land to a satisfactory condition. The Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure conducted two public hearings on Bill 5, An Act to Amend the Commissioner’s Land Act, one on December the 8, 2009, and one on February 15, 2010.

The committee heard concerns from members of the public, a private citizen and a representative of the Deh Cho First...

The reason I ask these questions is because, really, as a Regular Member you don’t see much proof that the government is pursuing ideas or issues that are brought up by Regular Members. Just yesterday I had an exchange with the Minister of Justice about the possibility of a penitentiary being located in the Northwest Territories and some substantial investment of federal dollars here in the Northwest Territories. I’m talking about the possibility of a university, an increased military presence here in the Northwest Territories, and those northern development jobs that are located in Ottawa.

Who...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Premier and it gets back to my Member’s statement where I was talking about a federal parliamentary standing committee that came to the North. They visited all three northern territories. They were here in Yellowknife on November the 19th and 20th of last year. They looked at the areas of aboriginal affairs and northern development, they were here talking about potential barriers and solutions to economic development in the Northwest Territories and, as I stated in my Member’s statement, Mr. Speaker, I found it quite out of the ordinary...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I didn’t mean to downplay the significance of the things the Premier has suggested such as the expansion of the hydro, the Mackenzie Gas Project, devolution, the Mackenzie Valley Highway. Those are things that are important. Make no mistake about that. What I’m saying is that just because we’re focusing our efforts on that, we can’t let other opportunities pass us by. We always have to be looking for opportunities for federal investment in this Territory. If we are too much into the tunnel vision, we’ll miss opportunities. That was my big fear. I just wanted to ask the...

I guess oftentimes I get a little bit sceptical, but I mean, I asked for the presentations before they were made to that standing committee and I hazard to guess whether the government would have even let us know had I not inquired about it. It might have just happened and Regular Members might not have even known about it. One day’s notice for, like I said, over a dozen influential MPs visiting our city and in an opportunity to get out and see those proceedings and interact with these Members of Parliament is an opportunity that I think should have been given to Members that were in...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to report to the Assembly that the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure has reviewed Bill 11, An Act to Amend the Workers’ Compensation Act. The committee wishes to report that Bill 11 is now ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole as amended and reprinted. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I agree with the Minister. I think, as a government, we should be all over the federal government when there comes any opportunity to get federal investment in this Territory. Again, Mr. Speaker, I don’t see that happening with this government. I’ve been talking about some ideas here for the last two and a half years and, you know, we’ve been managing, it seems like bouncing from issue to issue to issue without really concentrating on some bigger prizes, Mr. Speaker, and those are the opportunities that exist in trying to get some federal investment here in our Territory. I’d like to ask the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to ask some questions. I suppose I’ll ask some questions of the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, and it gets back to some of my previous questions to the Minister of Justice. From where I sit, Mr. Speaker, I think the government is letting opportunities slip past us. I believe we’re soundly asleep at the switch oftentimes, and I think somebody has to ring the alarm clock and wake these guys up over here so that they understand that there are opportunities out there. We have to multi-task. If you’re a Minister, I don’t understand how a...

Like I said, if we don’t pursue opportunities, there are other jurisdictions in this country. I know Saskatchewan, Alberta, Ontario are very aggressive in pursuing opportunities. You can rest assured their Members of Parliament and provincial Legislature are out there beating the bushes with the federal government, looking for the federal government to invest in their provinces. We’re not doing that and I think this Minister has to have that discussion. It’s not going to cost us anything to write a letter or sit down with that Minister of Justice and talk to them about the possibility of a...