Michael Nadli

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. WHEREAS this 17th Legislative Assembly has often spoken of and identified openness, transparency and accountability as being of utmost importance to all Members and the people of the Northwest Territories;

AND WHEREAS the Government of the Northwest Territories currently lacks a single point of contact where Northwest Territories residents may take their concerns when they feel they have been impacted by unfair treatment in government administration;

AND WHEREAS with the recent achievement of devolution, the Government of the Northwest Territories has marked a significant...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In terms of trying to advance the visitors information centre forward and in preparation for the summer, could the Hamlet of Enterprise apply for funding through the department’s Community Tourism Infrastructure Program?

The Minister has indicated that he’s willing to help out the community in terms of the land tenure. What else can the community do in terms of trying to at least set the stage for a constructive dialogue between perhaps the community and the department? Is there something that perhaps could be a precondition that the community could consider just to help with the process of advancing the land tenure? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, that’s a hard act to follow. The Hamlet of Enterprise has an idea to bring back its visitor information centre at the site of the old weigh scale along the Mackenzie Highway. Enterprise is one of the main transportation corridors. Anyone driving north from Alberta, whether they’re heading to Hay River, Fort Simpson, Behchoko or Yellowknife, has to go through Enterprise. The old weigh scale would be an ideal location for a visitors centre and would offer something unique.

The visitors centre would generate economic activity, create local jobs and tap into the region’s...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Economic Opportunities Strategy and the Mineral Development Strategy are documents that this committee had time for at least playing a hand in forming the documents. As my colleague Mr. Bouchard had indicated, he feels good about it and my sense is that I am fairly confident this is a go-forward document and I’m looking forward to the rollout ensuring communities and regions and territories and the whole NWT as a landscape. We become involved with this whole document.

What I do want to highlight is that there needs to be at least a clear reporting mechanism. The...

I’d like to thank the Minister for his reply. Besides the timeliness of replying to the community, can the Minister enlighten this side of the House in terms of what is the issue in terms of the land transfer? Is it because of devolution, or is it just because all of the support mechanisms are not in place? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Is the department willing to work with Enterprise to develop a visitors information centre at the site of the old weigh scale? Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The natural wood grows abundantly in this land mass of an area of about 519,000 square miles. We have lots of trees. Wood is removable and it is sometimes simply a matter of an axe or saw to bring a pile of wood into your home to keep you warm. Advances in technology have made many of the tasks of chopping or sawing an afterthought. Now we have chainsaws for industrial skill type methods for collecting firewood.

Wood is used in woodstoves, for heating systems, for boilers systems and for the production of wood pellets, to name a few. In the NWT, campfires burn for ages with...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m truly proud to recognize two Pages from my home community of Deh Gah School in Fort Providence: Mr. Julien Antoine, who is in Grade 9, and also Leah Baptiste, who is also in Grade 9. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Standing Committee on Government Operations has been considering Bill 30, An Act to Amend the Public Service Act. The purpose of this bill is to enact three changes to the Public Service Act:

to remove the potential for conflict of interest in the process of granting a leave to an employee who wishes to run for elected office by shifting the authority to grant such leave request from the Minister responsible for the Public Service to the deputy minister;

to permit employees who have been identified for layoff to be placed in vacant positions without disrupting their...