David Ramsay

Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I want to speak again today about diamonds and how it is that the Government of the Northwest Territories is currently sound asleep when it comes to diamond policy, strategy and vision.

It has been ten years of mining diamonds in the Northwest Territories, and we just have not been as successful as we should have been. I believe we still have tremendous opportunity through the review of the diamond policy, strategy and a firm commitment from this government that diamonds and the secondary industry here in the Northwest Territories are going to be fully supported.

Yesterda...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’m going to speak today in favour of the motion. First of all, I think it speaks to the fact that the government…. I can appreciate the fact that they do have $59 million that needs to be spent in, obviously, different areas across the territory. I do appreciate that. But the government has to listen to Members and the concerns that have been raised in this House and from the travelling public. I think we get concerned when money is being spent.

This isn’t deleting every bit of money from Highway No. 5. We’re spending money on a highway that is passable — it is a good...

Mr. Speaker, the Minister makes a good case. Ontario is a province. The Northwest Territories obviously is a territory, and I believe that it is vitally more important for us as a territory to maximize the opportunity. Ontario has a tremendous amount of other opportunities all over the province, and we are struggling here to find opportunities for our people. We have four operating diamond mines in our territory, yet as a government we just don’t seem to grasp that we can do more and we should be doing more in terms of diamonds. I want to get a better understanding from the Minister. Again...

Mr. Speaker, I want to continue with some questions today for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment. Again it has to do with diamond policy, strategy and vision of the Government of the Northwest Territories as it relates to our diamond file.

I mentioned yesterday that the previous government blew up the diamond division at ITI midway through the life of the last government. I know we are doing work in the area of developing a review of the policy that’s in place for diamonds. I’m wondering: if the division isn’t there, who exactly is doing the work of the review of the policy and...

Again, I think those are discussions that should happen. If there are enhancements there that the town wants specific to that new school or schools, they should be coming to the plate with some dollars to get that done.

The other thing I wanted to mention here, in terms of capital acquisition, is the three new pieces of equipment for Fort Smith and for Aurora College. I’m just wondering: why is it that we’re buying new pieces of equipment for the college? Wouldn’t we at least look at second-hand equipment, Mr. Chairman? Why does it have to be new?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to add a few comments to the discussion. I’ve got a few questions as well.

Like many other Members, I’m supportive of the Inuvik school replacement. I have been for a number of years now, since the roof collapsed in 2004, and there’s a need there to replace that piece of infrastructure.

The interesting thing for me, though, is that if it was in the private sector and they needed to replace a piece of infrastructure like this — it’s a big building — it’d be done in the most timely, cost efficient, effective manner possible. What I’m seeing with this project...

I didn’t hear an answer on whether or not other locations in Alberta or even…. I’m not sure; maybe the Minister could let us know. What other agreements do we have with health authorities in southern Canada to look after our patients? Are there other options? There are going to be huge demands on Capital Health in Edmonton. If their rooms are full, we need to be looking after our patients, and we have to ensure that this type of scenario is never allowed to play itself out again. So will the Minister answer that question?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to follow up on some questions a colleague, Mr. Hawkins, had earlier in regard to a patient who was medevacked to Edmonton and who, in fact, is a constituent of mine. I’m going to ask some questions today. I want to try to get a better understanding of what happened and why it is that the government and the Department of Health would send a patient who had a stroke to a facility if they knew there were no rooms there for that patient. The answer that Ms. Lee provided to Mr. Hawkins yesterday wasn’t clear enough for me. Could she explain why they would knowingly...

I know we’ve helped out other jurisdictions in terms of policy development, because they’re new into the game, into the diamond business. Will the Minister provide us, whether it’s the House or the EDI committee, with the submission that the government gave to this feasibility study group? At any time was it suggested that a diamond bourse, or diamond exchange, should be located in the diamond capital of North America? That’s here in Yellowknife, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask some questions today of the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, and it gets back to my Member’s statement where I was talking about the government’s support to the diamond industry and the value added industry here in the Northwest Territories.

It seems to me that the 14th Legislative Assembly — some of my colleagues in this room were Members at that time — was very supportive of diamonds in the Northwest Territories and what they meant. But for some reason the 15th Legislative Assembly dropped the ball on diamonds. They did away with the diamond...