Robert Bouchard

Thank you. With decentralization as a priority for this government, will the Minister commit to reviewing these positions and making sure that none of those positions currently could be located in Hay River?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today will be for the Minister responsible for the NWT Power Corporation. In 1989 the Power Corporation moved its head office to Hay River. We’re awfully proud of that facility in Hay River.

My question is that the positions in the Hay River headquarters office have been floating slowly over to Yellowknife and other locations. I know there are currently 70 positions in Hay River, but I’m wondering if the Minister can answer how many positions are currently located in Yellowknife.

I am concerned with that large a number. I think the number is somewhere between 45 and 50 and I’m wondering why there are so many positions such as engineers, safety specialists that are currently in Yellowknife when Hay River is the headquarters for the NWT Power Corporation.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Glad that I can agree with Mr. Beaulieu’s point of view in that we are elected officials to make these decisions. I will not be supporting this motion, as well, on the fact that I think there are a bunch of intricacies of these types of decisions and I don’t think that’s in the best interests of the Northwest Territories to be bound by a commission. I think the commissions can give us recommendations, give us direction on what they see, what they’ve heard and seen, but we, as elected officials, have to make the end decision.

The other thing is that making this binding...

A motion has been made. The motion is being distributed. The motion is in order. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. We’ll go back to Mr. Bromley.

Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Mr. Yakeleya.

There is a motion on the floor. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just wanted to add something that I missed. I’d indicated that none of the three options had a complete solution. One of the areas that I have problem with is the 21 selection option. It also brings up concerns. There are still overages, so in that process we would have, at that time, problems with the Sahtu. The Sahtu would have an overage and, at that time, would we be looking, at the next go-round, to be adding 22, 23? Where does the expansion of this Legislative Assembly stop, especially when our population is not going up, it’s going down? I mean, the scenario of...