Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, today would like to take this opportunity to offer my condolences to all the families of those who lost their lives in the tragic crash at Resolute Bay this weekend. We realize how interconnected we all are as Northerners when we hear the initial news of something like this and know, inevitably, that we will know people who were involved in this.

Today especially I would like to send my condolences out to Aziz Kheraj and his wife, Alisak, on the loss of their little granddaughter, the miracle and the blessing of the granddaughter that did not perish, and for a...

I think I’ll just let it go at that. There’s probably a forum in which these kinds of issues can be raised. Another concern I have -- and the Minister doesn’t have to answer if he doesn’t want to -- it seems like this is a bit of a strain here. The Minister is not looking up. He didn’t make eye contact with me once during this entire exchange, while I was speaking or while he was answering. So I’m not sure how meaningful this exchange is here today, but maybe I’ll save my comments for a different forum. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I primarily want to speak to the issue of the shuffling of the funds between the health authorities. I’m sure there are explanations for why these things happen. Let me throw out a couple of examples.

Perhaps a community or health authority doesn’t have any doctors on staff, so maybe Stanton is sending out locums or physicians and that’s showing up on their budget and not on that other health authority’s budget. I’m sure there are some large ticket items which would explain some of this. I have a concern with it if we are not able to provide that kind of information in...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The committee wishes today to deal with Tabled Document 53-16(6) and Tabled Document 54-16(6), both supplementary estimates. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, if the Town of Hay River could quantify a certain amount of work of that nature that is being done and were to submit a proposal to MACA for an offsetting contribution to support this position in Hay River, is that something that Municipal and Community Affairs could support? I’m just thinking it would be more information if there were an actual detailing of that type of work that’s being done that would normally fall under the mandate of a territorial government employee. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As indicated in my Member’s statement, I have questions for the Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs.

I’m sure the Minister is aware that we have a full-time fire chief in Hay River right now and part of his mandate is to perform some of the duties that would normally be performed from the office of the fire marshal. So when there were inspections or work required in Hay River, it would require the fire marshal to travel from Fort Smith to do that work, and so the government is obviously saving some money there. I’d like to know if that correlates to...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that consideration of Tabled Document 54-16(6), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2011-2012, be now concluded, and that Tabled Document 54-16(6) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Oh, okay. I don’t want to argue with the Chair. I would like him to answer it, yes.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chair, I move that consideration of Tabled Document 53-16(6), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2011-2012, be now concluded, and that Tabled Document 53-16(6) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m going to ask the Minister if he sees this as a good model. We see this in other areas such as economic development where a municipality or a community will hire an economic development officer and it will be funded by the territorial government to work… There will be a contribution from the municipality and a contribution from the territorial government for a position like that. I see this position of a full-time fire chief as similar in the sense that this is work, a lot of the work that could fall within the mandate of a territorial government employee. So I see...