Kevin O'Reilly

Frame Lake

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 42)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So how is it decided whether an appropriation is used for this or whether it should come out of the liquor and cannabis revolving fund? Are there criteria for those? And can the Minister share those with us? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 42)

Merci, Monsieur le President. My question is for the Minister of Justice, who is responsible for victim services for this government. Can the Minister explain if there is a plan to expand the current community-based victim services offered through 10 coordinators to all of our communities, and, if not, why not? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 42)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, of the $494,000 that's not previously authorized, how much of this is federal money and how much of it is going to be coming out of the liquor revolving fund? Or where does it come from? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 42)

Merci, Monsieur le President. As this is Family Violence Awareness Week, I will speak on Victim Services programs of this government, offered through the Department of Justice.

There are basically three programs. The Victims Assistance Fund receives the victims of crimes surcharges, which are then used for application-based projects. This program is working well, although there is an opening balance of $260,000 as of April 1, 2018, as shown in the most recent annual report tabled earlier in this sitting.

The second program is the Victims of Crime Emergency Fund, which provides financial...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 42)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I guess I want to encourage the Minister to sort this out as soon as possible. This isn't the first time I have raised it with him; this is probably the third or fourth time, and there is nothing that has appeared on the review board website about this in the public registry. Maybe there is something happening behind the scenes, but if the department intends to get this work done, they need to sort this out ASAP with the review board. You cannot start work that is within the scope of the environmental assessment. That's the law. They need to sort this out. I would just...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 42)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. The environmental assessment has been going on since 2013. The last letter from our government on the public registry is dated May 18, 2016. That is two and a half years ago.

I want this work to go ahead probably as much as anybody else in this House, but unless we sort out how this work fits in with what the review board is doing and the legislation prevents work from going ahead, that is an environmental assessment.

What is the department doing to get this sorted out with the review board so that the work can go ahead? The last correspondence from our government on the...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 41)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I guess I am trying to understand what the difference is between the cash balance and the reserves that are in these two funds.

Can I get a commitment from the Minister to table in the House some sort of balance sheet for each of these revolving funds that indicates what the cash reserves are, what the cash balance is, and so on, so that we actually understand is available to cover off the additional shipping costs for each of these for the items that have to be airlifted? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 41)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. That is not a very large balance in either of those funds. Will these balances cover the additional shipping costs that are anticipated for airlifting of fuel and other goods to these communities? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 41)

Merci, Monsieur le President. I give notice that, on Thursday, October 25, 2018, I will move that Bill 24, An Act to Amend the Elections and Plebiscites Act, be read for the first time. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 41)

Merci, Monsieur le President. A few commitments out of the Minister here today. I appreciate that.

I talked earlier today about how, on the Infrastructure Canada website, it shows that 79 per cent of our federal infrastructure dollars since 2002 have been spent on roads and highways. This has led to a big imbalance. I have referred to this as the "big toys for big boys" approach.

Can the Minister explain this imbalance and how he will work to ensure that more social infrastructure projects make it through Cabinet's processes and into GNWT submissions for federal infrastructure funding? Mahsi...