Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The wish of committee, or my wish, I move we report progress.

It seems like it would be a lot of work to judge each application, each proposal, each funding agreement individually. Are there not guidelines, parameters that, for example, four months into a fiscal year an NGO has their funding approved? In the meantime they have not been able to procure the services of an office manager or Internet services or different things that they would have on a monthly basis. Then they receive their funding four months into that fiscal year for the full year, but they’re only allowed to spend per month what was in the proposal. Is there not a standard? Would it...

We need to be more flexible in understanding and processing budget expenses for this committee. We need to appreciate the time and energy that our volunteers have put into organizing and operating NGOs. They are not usually qualified accountants; these are volunteers and we need to be flexible in approving their requests. Without these organizations in our communities, we would not have any of the services they provide.

I would like to extend my thanks to the many volunteers who operate NGOs in our communities and in Hay River. We need you and we appreciate you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am going to vote in favour of the motion as put forward by Ms. Bisaro. There was a lot of discussion and controversy over whether or not this clause that people have named a loophole, they’ve named it all kinds of different things. In fact, after listening to so much of the discussion around this particular clause, it’s my opinion that there’s a colossal misunderstanding and people taking extreme positions on what these things mean.

I think it boils down to the difference between the way that a pet dog is treated and the way that a working dog is treated. Both can be...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve listened, with interest, to all the comments of my colleagues and I do appreciate Mr. Abernethy and the support that’s being shown here for the Leishman family. However, I will support the motion because this incident does deserve to be looked into and deserves to have a report provided to the family. But for Member after Member who has stood up and suggested that there has been something untruthful happen here, I resent that. That is pre-empting the results of an investigation. If the Members all on this side of the House already think that somebody has done...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was recently approached by a constituent who had serious concerns about the cost of Internet services in the Northwest Territories. Internet usage, transferring data, is estimated to cost about 3 to 5 cents per gigabyte in the provinces down south. Up north, once you go over your bandwidth cap, NorthwesTel, our main Internet service provider, charges Northerners at least $10 a gigabyte compared to only $2 to $5 per gigabyte down south.

In a recent agreement with wholesalers down south, Bell Canada sells 40 gigabytes of data for $4.25 and still makes a profit. That...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that we report progress.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The committee would like to consider Committee Report 7-16(5), Report on Bill 16, An Act to Amend the Dog Act, and also Bill 16, An Act to Amend the Dog Act. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize in the visitor’s gallery today my new friends Peter and Tony from Haliburton, Ontario. They’re on a very long road trip. They have had careers in police work and in forestry and they’re here visiting us today. We welcome them to the Assembly. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Committee would like to deal with Bills 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, and Minister’s Statement 65-16(5), Devolution Agreement-in-Principle, Impact on Land Claims and Protection of Aboriginal Rights.