Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the working of a consensus government is based on our credibility on this side of the House to ask questions and to receive accountable and transparent answers from the other side. That’s the whole basis of this debate in the House. I mean, Mr. Roland can split hairs about this, but he knows the intent of my question and some of my colleagues was to find out what had transpired and where our government sat in terms of commitment. My question is to the Premier. In retrospect, was the signing of the concession agreement not a very key piece of...

On October 19, 2007, when the 16th Assembly was sitting in this House and I was asking Mr. Roland questions as the Premier, did he know that the concession agreement had been signed with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, why should the Housing Corporation have first rights to the proceeds of a sale of a senior’s home who accessed a repair program and yet they would have absolutely no issue with somebody selling their house, putting the money in the bank and getting free housing? I am not trying to take that away from the people who do get that. That was a program in place. People accessed it. Good for them. That is the parameters that we set out, but it is highly discriminatory. I will tell you another thing that is highly discriminatory with our housing is that the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the past many weeks have been a very busy time, starting with the month of September, the election period, culminating with October 1st, polling day. It was a busy and exciting time as each of us had the opportunity for a very concentrated dialogue with constituents about the issues most important to them. I found that exercise to be invigorating, and a renewal and a recharging of my enthusiasm to pursue those issues. Some of what I heard was not new, but many of the suggestions and ideas about how to approach them were new and focused on issues in a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave notice of earlier today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Monday, October 22, 2007, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Frame Lake, that the appointments of the following Members to the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight be revoked and that the following Members be appointed to the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning: Mr. Glen Abernethy, Member for Great Slave; Mr. Tom Beaulieu, Member for Tu Nedhe; Ms. Wendy Bisaro, Member for Frame Lake; Mr. Bob Bromley, Member for Weledeh; Mrs. Jane Groenewegen, Member for Hay River...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Then I have to ask this Premier, what was the purpose of the trip to Fort Providence, then, with the golden shovels, standing on the banks of the Mackenzie River on the very last day of this government before it dissolved? What was the purpose of that? Was there an actual contract signed in conjunction with that process, or was that just a, you know, a show of some kind of psychological commitment that we’re proceeding with the bridge? Where’s the legal document? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to follow up on the questions asked by my colleague Mr. Ramsay with respect to the Deh Cho Bridge. There’s a verse in the Bible, that I know Mr. Roland will be familiar with, that says, “No man builds a house without first counting the cost.” This is an anomaly; this is a public/private partnership, but we are the public piece of that partnership and I still cannot seem to get into my head whether or not we, as a government, have had the opportunity to consider the cost. I’m not prepared to sign a blank cheque. I haven’t even been asked if...

How can you discriminate on the grounds of marital status? That is against the human rights code to do that. How can you tell a couple you can have a free seat here, and then leave somebody alone, a widow or a widower by themselves trying to support an independent housing unit?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I bet the Premier wishes he had assigned portfolios before this morning, but we are ready to go. We are ready to get into business here. I made a promise, Mr. Speaker, to a constituent during the campaign that at the first available opportunity I would stand up in this House and raise an issue with respect to housing and seniors' housing programs. Right now, if you are fortunate enough to live in social housing as a senior over 60, you pay no rent. It is not means tested. However, if I am a senior living in my own home and I need to access a repair...