David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am glad to be back in the Legislative Assembly here with my colleagues as we continue to work on behalf of the residents of the Northwest Territories. I would like to begin with the issue of our economy. Mr. Speaker, our economy here in the Northwest Territories is growing. Since 1999, our economy has grown by 71 percent. Mr. Speaker, we have been dubbed by our Premier and other federal politicians as the future economic engine of this country. Interestingly enough, our economy last year grew only one percent. The questions that I have about this...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if indeed, and I would suggest that the work on the review that needs to happen for a means test for folks to access seniors’ housing and public housing needs to happen yesterday and I don’t think we can afford to wait the four months over the summer period for that to happen. I’d like to ask the Minister, can we get a means test for the seniors looking for housing over the summer, and I know the Minister said he’s going to consult with the committee, but is he going to enter into any projects over the summer? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there’s been much discussion about seniors’ housing the last two weeks during our session. Much of that discussion has been centred around a lack of a means test for seniors getting into public housing and, in fact, in some cases a lack of clients that may take up residence in some of these projects the Minister has talked about here the past couple of weeks. I’d like to ask the Minister what assurances can he provide to us that he’s not going to rush into any projects over the summer with building any further seniors’ housing without first informing the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I guess the question I would have to ask the Minister is he says things are going to happen, things will be resolved. I would like to get a commitment from him that both YCS’s needs and YK No. 1’s needs will be resolved and I know the Minister just said it’s not going to happen by this fall, but when are the issues here surrounding space in Yellowknife schools going to be settled once and for all? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, the Honourable Charles Dent. I would just like to have the Minister clear the air on some outstanding issues for myself and some other residents here in the city of Yellowknife. It gets back to the Yellowknife Facilities Capital Planning Committee. On May 19th, there was a press release that was inadvertently issued and caused some concern in various camps about the status of the committee’s work. I would like the Minister, if he could, to clarify what his position is in terms of the facility...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister for his response. Perhaps if the Minister, and he probably may have already had a look at the report entitled For the Sake of the Children, which was commissioned by the federal government a number of years ago, that looked into this very issue and for whatever reason this type of legislation that defaults to equal shared parenting hasn’t proceeded in Canada. I’m wondering if the Minister hasn’t discussed this issue of equal shared parenting with the new Justice Minister Vic Toews, I’m wondering if and when he may be able to have that type of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to thank Mrs. Groenewegen for her statement today. Today I'd like to talk about fathers' rights and custody cases. Statistics show that most marriages are ending in divorce, Mr. Speaker. Forty-six percent is the national average. In some cases, Mr. Speaker, the consequences are only financial. In cases that involve the custody of children, the consequences can be far-reaching and can impact on the lives of the children for decades to come.

When a marriage or relationship breaks down, the issues that lead to the breakup seem to supersede what should be the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I still haven’t quite figured out what the folks that were delivering the social housing policy at the Housing Corporation are doing today. I know there is new staff at ECE that are looking after the social housing policy now. I am wondering is there any way, given the media attention that caused the concern that we are hearing from constituents, at all that the Minister can fast track some review of this policy, so that fair is fair, Mr. Speaker? Can he fast track it? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it’s debatable and I don’t think anybody has really seen a waiting list for these units. But I would like to ask the Minister if indeed they are built, will there be a means test available for people trying to occupy these units? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, after having listened to the responses from the Minister -- and I know he’s working with another department, ECE on this -- I’m not at all confident that they will arrive at the solutions I think they need to arrive at sooner rather than later. I’d like to ask the Minister specifically what is going to take place in the Housing Corporation. What projects have they got underway and where exactly is the means test that you’re developing with ECE and will we see that developed over the summer between now and September, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.