Kevin O'Reilly

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I think I heard the Minister say, then, that this is not a requirement for MTS to operate. That is what I understand as well, so we are on the same page on that. Can a department not maintain a separate set of accounts internally so that the operation of this could be tracked? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Merci, Monsieur le President. Earlier today, I thanked the Minister responsible for Northwest Territories Housing Corporation for meeting with a couple of constituents who have issues around affordability of housing in Northlands Trailer Park. People on fixed incomes are finding it difficult to pay the local improvement charges and condo fees. Can the Minister briefly describe our current housing programs that may provide some assistance to residents living in Northlands? Merci, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. No one outside of government was actually consulted during the preparation of this bill, and no one in Hay River was consulted? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Merci, Monsieur le President. Recently, I had two constituents contact me with regard to housing issues in Northlands Trailer Park. About 1,100 people live in this area of Yellowknife. This neighbourhood has a long and complicated history. It was developed around 1977 by a private developer and was turned into a condominium corporation in 1989. At that point, the infrastructure became the responsibility of the corporation. In 2010, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation stopped offering assistance with mortgages in this area due to the poor condition of infrastructure. A deal was reached...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the response from the Minister. Just so I understand this, the issue is the federal money is not flowing perhaps as smoothly as we would like. Is that a problem of them getting money out the door? Is it a problem of us invoicing? Any sort of overall conclusion there would be helpful to know. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Yes, I would appreciate receiving that level of detail. Whether, you know, ITI has that information now or not, and I understand this is a big piece of work that our government has committed to do on the mandate. We also want to make sure that we get it right and that you know there are opportunities for everyone to participate, including NGOs. More of a comment than anything else. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. $672,000 for a new Mineral Resources Act sounds like a lot of money. Can the Minister or his staff explain what that is really for? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. That is a good sales pitch. I almost want to buy a plane, but if there is some way to move that date up as quickly as possible, because it is getting to be fire season right now. I am sure different jurisdictions are trying to make sure they have everything they need in place, so the quicker we can arrange a tender process, the better, in terms of trying to sell these things while the fire season is still hot. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. No. I would like to conclude, though, if I could. I want to thank the Minister for trying to convince me, and it was a nice try. I just want to be very clear: I am not opposed to the marine transportation system operating as a GNWT entity, and I support our government doing that, resupplying our remote communities.

If anybody wants to try to say that I am against MTS, that is not the case. To be very clear, I am opposed to this bill for the way that it is being set up internally, the accounting that is going to be done for it. I am also concerned with the process that has...

Merci, Monsieur le President. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that Bill 30, Health Statutes Amendment Act (Cremation Services), be read for the first time. Merci, Monsieur le President.