Henry Zoe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I concur with my colleague from Nahendeh and the comments that Mrs. Groenewegen has made also. I believe that the process that’s been outlined by Mr. Yakeleya. I just want to make a couple other points. Although Ms. Lee has indicated that they follow the normal routine and follow a process of putting advertisements out so they can have general public input, I don’t think they’ve gone far enough, particularly on such a sensitive issue as this particular bill is. I think they should have gone a little bit more in consultation with aboriginal and municipal governments...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I’m sure reluctant to support anything at this point in time pertaining to the committee report discussing this particular issue. I understand that the committee has solicited in the papers, I believe, and I’m not sure if they did radio broadcasting and stuff like that to have public input, but at that time my understanding is that there was no public input except from the Chief Electoral Officer that made the report. The recommendation that he made was the first Monday in October to have a fixed date for election. I feel uncomfortable at this time to say I...

Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I, too, would like to recognize a former resident of my constituency of Rae Lakes, Ms. Betty Quitte. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wonder if I could ask the Minister if he could kindly intervene with the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs in their lands section to make sure that my constituent’s land lease can go through, although they may be in a transitional phase. The reason I am saying that, Mr. Speaker, is that we’re in critical need of housing in our communities and there are a number of clients that require these leases not only for obtaining housing from the Housing Corporation, but there are some other clients that need their land leases to obtain funding from the banks to do...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. I’d like to ask the Minister why are my constituents having difficulty obtaining land leases for Commissioner’s land and Crown land in the Tlicho communities. Thank you.

I move we report progress.

Just for clarity for the Members, it gives us an opportunity to…The way it reads now, it will come into force as soon as we give it assent in this House. So what this amendment does is to delay it to a day certain. Day certain meaning either the first session of the 38th Parliament when they prorogue, or when the Civil Marriage Act comes into force. So whatever happens with the Civil Marriage Act, if it dies or gets passed, our legislation will continue to come into force at either of those two times. This is what the motion is saying. It will give more comfort to most of us on this side of...

Madam Chair, I would like to withdraw that motion and I would like to move another one.

…and now this thing comes up and the government puts this as high priority. We know what’s happening in Ottawa. Why couldn’t they wait until that issue was dealt with? Specifically to this clause, Mr. Chairman, they’re mixing apples and oranges here.

---Laughter

You know? Not oranges to oranges, but apples to oranges. On one hand what they’re doing, it’s not a laughing matter. What they’re doing is for the unmarried common-law couples for the benefits, as the Minister indicated, in some of our laws that we have in place the benefits for common-law couples they don’t receive now because of the...

I have no further questions on clause 1.