Michael Miltenberger

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize Paulette Panzeri, the director general for human resources for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada who is also my older sister and it’s the first time I’ve had the opportunity to welcome her to this House.

---Applause

I’d also like to recognize Mr. Daryl Dolynny, a pharmacist who works at Shoppers Drug Mart, past-president of NWT Pharmacies Association who has been very instrumental in the work we’ve been doing on getting a Pharmacy Act brought forward.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll make sure I highlight that point about don't consult any more and get down to work when the Member next comes forward. Mr. Speaker, we have made a significant investment with dozens and dozens of positions and wellness workers and mental health workers across the land. We have made significant investments and we're going to continue to do that. The Member has stood up in this House and said let's take another approach with some on-the-land programs and a concept that he has contributed about 20 words to. I'm saying if the Member has a specific proposal and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the next week or so we're going to be finalizing and sending out a document for feedback in regards to next steps when it comes to alcohol and drug treatment and mental health treatment, as well. We'll be looking for feedback from the Members. We'll be sending it out far and wide across the land, to authorities, to chiefs and band councils and to cover all the whole spectrum of stakeholders. As well, if the Member has a specific suggestion or proposal he'd like to make, we're always prepared to, as the Member knows, work with him to see what is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following documents: NWT Protected Areas Strategy Annual Report, 2004-2005; the 2004-2005 Annual Report of the Western NWT Biophysical Study; and the NWT Diversity Action Plan Report Two: Gap and Overlap Analysis and Recommendations for Future Actions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the Member's statement yesterday he pointed out very clearly the debate between community services and enhancing those as opposed to building and focussing a lot, or almost extensively on the type of residential facilities and anywhere in between, as the discussion has unfolded. That's part of the issue that we're looking at. Clearly where we're up and down the valley, there's concern about the impending development of the proposed pipeline. We also have to sit down, now that we know for sure that there's been a commitment to the $500 million that is going to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that kind of working relationship is critical at frontline levels and at every level. Once again, I’m aware of the concerns that the Member is talking about and I will, as well, commit to make sure that that’s part of our discussion. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d be pleased to do that. I’ll make that commitment that we’ll sit down and I’ll talk further with the Member and we’ll work with the Inuvik Health and Social Services Authority to make sure that we can try to address the issues. I’d also like to point out that we did add out of some of the federal money we had another $100,000 a year to the shelters. The five shelters we fund and the shelter directors got together and, I believe, agreed that Inuvik was one of the shelter’s that should get that money as opposed to some of the other ones, but I will...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I gather it’s a lot like going to the butcher shop and you buy a steak. You buy some by the pound and you want to make sure the butcher doesn’t have his finger on the scale.

---Laughter

I appreciate the Member’s concern. This is a relatively straightforward process. There’s a certain amount of setting up the system that’s operating in good faith here where we want to work with the communities to deal with a very important environment issue. Once again, we’ll make sure that we go back and double check to make sure everything is working as it’s supposed to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can appreciate the Member’s concern that he wants to ensure the system is fair, especially for the small contractor. But it would be problematic where volumes are very high like Yellowknife where they are processing hundreds of thousands of beverage containers to have individuals sitting there counting one can, another can. I think they’ve come up with ways through the recycling processes across the land in terms of weight and what that’s equivalent to in terms of the number of cans and such. So we will make sure that the process is fair, that it’s...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when individuals come in with their recyclable beverage containers, they are compensated on an individual item basis, be it cans, bottles or other containers. The issue at hand is when you are dealing with the aluminum products, what has been done is we process these through the system. It has been estimated, for example, how much 500 aluminum cans would weigh crushed up and they pay on a weight basis. The concern, I understand from having talked further with the Member, is that there may be a discrepancy where the contractor may come in with what he...