David Ramsay

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister what the government’s yearly payment is going to be to the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation for the Deh Cho Bridge once the construction has concluded. Is it going to remain at $3.8 million or does the Minister foresee it going higher than that? Thank you.

Maybe just a comment from the Minister on why this wasn’t included in the original concession agreement. I think the residents in the Northwest Territories are going to be asking questions about why this wasn’t included in the concession agreement and why it appears in the capital plan and why we are going to be spending $1 million on the toll bridge operating system when, for all intents and purposes, it should have been included in the concession agreement. I am not sure who didn’t negotiate that in, but that is a big oversight, in my mind. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just had a few questions as it pertains to the Deh Cho Bridge toll system. I know the bridge is being delayed for at least a year. The redesign isn’t concluded so the logical question is, why does the government find it necessary to put $600,000 in the capital plan? Thank you.

I appreciate the work that is being done on the Dog Act, but that doesn’t begin to address other domesticated animals in the Northwest Territories and cruelty or abuse that’s inflicted on those animals, Mr. Speaker. I know the Minister said the legislative process takes two years. Is there any way, any possible way that the government can see to it that animal rights legislation in the Northwest Territories gets a higher priority than us waiting two years and that won’t even be conducted until the next government comes through the doors in two years? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Government House Leader and it gets back to my Member’s statement where I was talking about animal rights legislation in the Northwest Territories and another incident just last week where three puppies were found in the dump in Behchoko with their throats cut. We start to ask the question again, the public asks us questions, it makes us look bad both on a national stage and on an international stage when incidents like this happen. In the Northwest Territories, the legislation just has no teeth to do much about it, as was evidenced with...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I guess I just don’t agree with the rationale for not including it in the concession agreement. I guess I’ve gone on record as saying that before and I’ll say it again today. It’s happened in the past, so we need to move on anyway.

I want to ask, on an annual basis, what is it going to cost the government to operate the toll system. The Minister talks about a call centre. What’s it going to cost us on an annual basis to operate this toll system? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I thank the Minister for that. Just a couple of things. I am just wondering when the $400,000 was approved initially for the toll system, because I maybe was out of the House that day or I was somewhere else, but I don’t remember us approving $400,000 for the toll booth on the Deh Cho Bridge. Maybe just a comment on that. Maybe the Minister could just refresh my memory as to why this Deh Cho Bridge toll system wasn’t included in the initial concession agreement and whether or not we can renegotiate that concession agreement to include this price that is going to be borne on the taxpayer here...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister’s response. The Yukon had a similar occurrence with some animal cruelty, which led them to bring in an act two and a half years ago; the Animal Cruelty Act in the Yukon. We don’t have to look that far and wide to find a piece of legislation, I think, that we could take a look at here in the Northwest Territories. Again, I want to ask the Minister, I know the Justice Minister said this in March, but can we please get another piece of legislation and get moving on this sooner than two years? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

That’s interesting, considering what happened yesterday with the Petroleum Tax Act that went through the House in one day. I’d like to ask the Minister, last spring the Justice Minister had talked about a working group that was being formulated by government to take a look at animal rights legislation here in the Northwest Territories. I’d like to know exactly what that working group has accomplished in the past six months, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m going to speak today about the issue of animal neglect, cruelty and abuse. I last spoke about this issue back in March, when people across the country were floored by charges being stayed against a Behchoko man who was charged in September of 2008 after the local government in Behchoko called in a veterinarian to put down 34 of his dogs who were found to be badly malnourished. Well, Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, animal cruelty was back in the news when just last week three puppies were found at the dump in Behchoko, their throats having been cut; a reprehensible act...