Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not used to being upstaged, but here I go.

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This year’s budget includes a total of $5.15 million for energy initiatives. According to this Cabinet, 7 percent of this budget will go to energy planning. The Government of the Northwest Territories has a consistent track record of spending millions on energy studies, surveys, strategies and public consultation; yet, for all the energy that has gone into energy planning, we only pay more for heat and power every year. For all the planning, two of our communities are in dire need of reliable energy sources. The...

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order. The only item in Committee of the Whole today is Tabled Document 9-17(4). What is the wish of the committee? Mr. Menicoche.

Mr. Speaker, at the beginning of this session, I rather barged into the Premier’s office, where Mr. Ramsay was, and suggested that we should turn our attention to the lower portion of the highway and forget about the upper portion. But Mr. Ramsay assured me we will do both. Industry will participate in the Wrigley-Norman Wells portion.

What gives him confidence to say that industry will come to the table? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my colleagues from Sahtu and Nahendeh about the extension of the Mackenzie Valley Highway from Wrigley and Norman Wells, given the level of economic activity going on in the Sahtu and the projected level of activity, not wanting to rain on anybody’s parade, but I have to ask the question.

Inuvik-Tuk, I know the federal government is talking about putting 75 percent of that money into that road, but in your recent trips to Ottawa and in your recent discussions, has the idea ever surfaced of putting a higher priority on the Wrigley-Norman Wells portion of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s hard to decide what to talk about on budget day, but I think I’ll follow the lead of my colleague for Hay River North and we’ll say nice things today. We’ve got six weeks to get into all the rest, right?

So it is a time of restraint and it is a time of kind of holding the line in our government, and in view of that, we still see some good things in there, and I will speak specifically about Hay River. As well, the Midwifery Program for Hay River, something long awaited and really looking forward to.

I look at the reintroduction of the Drug and Alcohol Treatment...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your committee has been considering Tabled Document 9-17(4) and would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will keep this short. The federal government has expressed a great interest in opening up the North; they have expressed great interest in the development of energy sources in the country. With that in mind, Mr. Ramsay speaks of the federal government coming to the table.

I’d like to know when this government would intend to put forward any kind of formal proposal to the federal government to participate in that part of the highway, as well, the Wrigley to Norman Wells. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister said that the funds of the federal government have been earmarked. I guess that’s good news. I mean, 75 cent dollars from the federal government is very good news. It’s been earmarked.

I’d like to ask the Minister if in fact there are not still many hurdles with respect to the commencement of a project like that, and if we as a government should not be paying due diligence to the Wrigley-Norman Wells in view of the activity, in case the other project does not proceed. I don’t want to wait until we turn the soil on one project before we start paying attention to the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s my pleasure today to introduce in the visitors gallery a resident of Hay River South Mr. Brad Mapes, who is a local businessperson in Hay River and also the deputy mayor of Hay River.

I’m not completely familiar with what type of planes are used for medical evacuations, and certainly I understand that if a person is having a medical emergency, they do need to have a trained medical professional accompany them on that medevac if required.

My question is: Does the medical practitioner at the originating end of the medevac have the discretionary ability, if there’s room over and above medical staff on that charter, to allow a family member to accompany the patient on that charter?