Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Krutko says that they have developed land availability issues in these communities, but he has a lot of boarded up, dilapidated units that are scheduled for replacement. Doesn't it make sense that land will be made available when you demolish the units that are being replaced? Is that the plan, or what do you plan to do with those? In conjunction with that, is it true -- I've heard this rumour, I don't know if it's true -- is it true that the Housing Corporation is collecting some kind of a grant or contribution from the federal government towards...

Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on a point of personal privilege to correct what I believe are some misconceptions about the rules which I can appreciate must be mysterious to many members of the public who do not work with these rules on a day-to-day basis.

In particular, I refer to an editorial published in the October 4, 2006, Hub newspaper that included the phrase "conventions that conveniently give politicians an easy ride in reference to the sub judice rule that requires Members to refrain from discussing matters that are before the courts."

As I understand it, the sub...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table a package of documents, in chronological order, on the Premier's comments on the civil suit. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Now finding out the Premier doesn't know he had a parking stall, I won't have any guilt or hesitation to take that stall now when I go there. We could go for a drive, but it's there.

---Laughter

It says "Premier," it says "Minister," and if the travelling public is required to pay for parking at the airport and go through the parking booth, I would suggest it would be appropriate for the Minister and the Premier to do the same. So I would certainly encourage anybody that wants to go out. I could go take a picture for you, but we could just go for a drive. Will the Minister...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on a somewhat lighter note today, I have a question for the Minister of Transportation. I recently had occasion to be at the Yellowknife Airport waiting for someone to arrive and couldn’t help but notice these tall, bright, shiny signs that had "Minister" written on one and "Premier" on the other. I would like to ask the Minister of Transportation, in his very expensive expansion of $12 million at the Yellowknife Airport, did he take it upon himself to ensure that he and the Premier would secure free parking at the airport? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’m still not exactly, I guess, getting to the point that I’m getting to, or that I’m trying to get to. Maybe I’m not doing a very good job of asking the questions here, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, is it the Premier’s personal belief that persons who would come forward and disclose and self identify about abuse that they have experienced at the hand of a person of authority, is it the Premier’s personal belief that these people could be lying, that they consented to the activity, that their race or their culture should be a factor in the consideration of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I said in my Member’s statement, it is not a secret that I take exception and issue with some of the comments that have recently been made by our Premier in relation to the plight of many young northerners who were left in the care and were being taught by someone who turned out to be a convicted pedophile. I am concerned about these comments. It is not about politics, Mr. Speaker. This is a matter which is very personal. I believe that we have a right to know where the Premier stands on these issues. I can say the Premier has apologized. I do...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I had a nice statement all prepared, a text all prepared today to stand up and congratulate the winners of the municipal elections, but, Mr. Speaker, I am going to deviate from that topic because I have something more important to talk about today. It would be somewhat untrue to my own conscience to sit here and just talk about the nice things, because there is another topic that is not so nice. The topic is the issue of the abuse and the legacy of abuse in the Northwest Territories. It is something that I would like to look away from. I would like to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to report to the Assembly that the Standing Committee on Governance and Economic Development as reviewed Bill 11, Tourism Act, and wishes to report that Bill 11 is now ready for Committee of the Whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.