Jane Groenewegen

Mr. Speaker, I would like to hear something encouraging from the Premier so that we could look at effecting these cuts and reductions with the absolute least impact on employees as possible.

At any given time in the public service of the G.N.W.T., I believe there’s about a 15 per cent vacancy rate. I know that in some positions, it’s not possible to deliver the programs and services without positions being filled. But with a 15 per cent vacancy rate, isn’t there an opportunity to look at perhaps not re-staffing positions that are not absolutely essential and integral to delivering a program or...

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize my constituent Mr. Tyler Hawkins of Hay River for his outstanding talent achievements in the music world.

Tyler Hawkins began his music lessons on multi-stringed guitar when he was just eight years old. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from York University with Honours in Performance in 1990. Since then he has been working as a teacher and a private guitar instructor in the Northwest Territories.

This weekend we’ll see another dream realized, as through Tyler’s leadership, we will host what I hope is just the first N.W.T. International Lute...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The report or response to the interim appropriation report was read into the record earlier today, into these proceedings. Just to speak to those issues in a little bit more detail.

This is an unusual budgeting year because of the Territorial election. It throws us off our normal schedule and thus the need for an interim appropriation. I think the interim appropriation from an O&M point of view can be fairly well characterized as a status quo kind of extension of previous fiscal years’ operations.

I think that where we got into more concentrated discussion was around...

I would like to provide a report from the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning. It’s a report on the 2008-2009 draft Interim Appropriation.

The Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning met to review the draft 2008-2009 interim appropriation between January 14 and 23, 2008. The draft interim appropriation included operations expenditures needed for the first quarter of the 2008-2009 fiscal year as well as a preliminary infrastructure acquisition plan. The operations expenditures are based on the 2007-2008 main estimates and do not include any new initiatives or reductions.

The...

Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to return to item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Unanimous consent granted.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Mr. Speaker, we ask people to slow down. If they don’t slow down and something unfortunate, an incident, took place, how serious is the bridge? This is a precautionary measure, I understand. If a big truck went over it and didn’t slow down, what could happen?

My questions also are for the Minister of Transportation today.

I had a constituent who had occasion to drive to Hay River the other day and reminded me when she got here when she asked about the Kakisa River Bridge and the sign there that says, “Slow down; five kilometres per hour.”

We obviously have a very serious problem with the Kakisa River Bridge. Unfortunately, we don’t have an opportunity for an ice crossing or a ferry on that particular river. It needs to be fixed. It is a piece of Territorial transportation infrastructure that is obviously in disrepair. I’m worried about big trucks...

Mr. Speaker, I think measures like that and communications like that are the most prudent on behalf of our government.

We’ve heard that our government is not the employer of choice anymore. We know that in all various sectors of the labour market, there’s extreme competition out there. I don’t think that we can afford to scare anybody out of our public service and out of the Northwest Territories. We need the people we have, and we work at professional development and investing in our employees.

I would like to ask the Premier if he will clearly communicate to his deputy ministers what the...

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to follow up on Mr. Ramsay’s questions with regard to the $135 million target for reductions in government expenditures over the next two years.

Mr. Speaker, there is concern out there, and I do believe that much of it is premised on a lack of information. I’d like to ask the Premier today…. We have committees that will be looking at strategic initiatives as reinvestments. We are, as a Regular Members’ caucus, looking at strategic reductions. There are many ideas that are coming out with the help of the public service, who are submitting suggestions to us as well.

I’d like...

Mr. Chairman, I would like to move that we report progress.

Motion carried.