Kevin O'Reilly

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. It was certainly my understanding, having sat in on the committee meetings, that that was the intention of the committee, and I thought that's what the bill was going to do. In any event, recent media reports about the use of vaping products in southern Canada and the US describe an epidemic in use by youth, and that manufacturers and retailers have specifically designed advertising to entice youth. I've had this raised to me by teachers at schools in my riding. Can the Minister tell us whether her department has taken any...

I want to thank the Minister for that comprehensive response, and I also want to acknowledge the work of the Standing committee on Social Development that had the forethought to anticipate this issue with vaping products, because there is a lot of news coverage on this now. I take it from the Minister's response, then, that the Tobacco and Vapour Products Control Act is going to take full legal effect on March 31, 2020. Can she confirm that again for me?

Thanks, Madam Chair, and I want to thank the Minister for that response. I guess I have a few comments I want to offer. I want to echo some of the frustration of my colleagues here this evening. Not a lot of this is actually new. The request, though, certainly for a $135-million increase in short-term borrowing is something new, and it comes at a difficult time, at the beginning of this Assembly. I have asked questions in the last Assembly about the deficit for the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services authority. If you look at their annual report, the latest one that is available...

Merci, Monsieur le President. Once again, I want to thank the Premier for that. I guess what I am most worried about is where the initial direction is going to come from for each of the Ministers and the departments. Yesterday, the Premier suggested to the Member for Yellowknife Centre that people could go and walk into her office and talk to her about priorities. That's not a very efficient or effective way of doing this. It doesn't recognize the role that standing committees should play in terms of consensus government, so I have suggested privately and publicly that the Premier be prepared...

Thanks, Madam Chair. I thought this was going to be a little easier than it is. I am looking at the information that was provided to us, and it doesn't jive with what the Minister has told us. The amount on the table that she is referring to is different than the number that she has given to us in her opening remarks. Is there some way where I can get it clarified what the actual amount is and how much was actually paid in school taxes? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I think I'd like to start by asking, I think I heard there were some cash-flow issues with regard to federal funding for the large infrastructure projects. I had understood in the budget for 2018, or the current O and M budget, that we had already hired, I think it was, three extra staff at the Department of Infrastructure to help with better reporting and getting money out of the feds for these projects. Am I hearing that that's not working? Thanks, Madam Chair.

I want to thank the Premier for that. I don't think she really answered my question, though, which was really about whether the priorities that we have provide clear direction to all of her Ministers. Now, I don't want to get into the specifics of the process that we are engaged in in terms of developing a mandate, but I think it is pretty clear that those priorities don't provide sufficient direction to all of the Ministers. I am just wondering: can the Premier tell us how the initial direction will be set for each Minister to cover matters outside of the priorities?

Thanks, Madam Chair. I'll try to be quicker this time. Can someone tell me: the $3.5-million amount, does that include school taxes?

Great. Thanks. That is what I had suspected and appreciate the response from our witnesses. This will be an ongoing cost into the future. The total supplementary appropriation, I think, is for $4.5 million, essentially. The Minister said $3.5 million is for the City of Yellowknife. What is the other $1 million for [microphone turned off]?

Merci, Monsieur le President. I wish to acknowledge one of the Pages in the House today, Riley Hans. She is a student at Ecole Sir John Franklin High School.

I want to thank you for filling my water glass, as well as running notes around for everybody.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.