Robert Bouchard

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to dedicate my speech today to the dedicated team in Hay River that is planning for the Relay for Life this Friday night and early into Saturday morning. The organizers have done a great job putting these teams together and fundraising a great deal of money for cancer research. I would like to thank all of the teams that have been doing fundraising for the last several months in Hay River. As I indicated, they will be walking around the Hay River track and field track overnight. They are dedicated and they have been working hard.

I would also like to share a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I use my Member’s statement to congratulate the graduates of the two high schools in Hay River. We have four graduates at Ecole Boreale and 38 graduates at Diamond Jenness Secondary School. Both of these grad ceremonies will take place next weekend and I will be able to attend both of them, so I’m looking forward to that.

It’s an exciting time for these youth, and I urge these youth to continue to learn, continue to educate yourself depending on where your specialties lie, whether that’s in a trade or whether that’s getting a degree or just learning some sort of...

[Translation] Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to say a few words in French today. I want to thank my parents, who all spoke to me in French, and I think that helped me in my life. [Translation ends]

…a few words in French. I’d like to thank my parents for speaking French to me and my siblings all the time. I think it has helped me and my siblings during our life. The knowledge of language helps people understand different cultures, the history of different people, and in the North it is a great example. We have eight different languages, and with these different languages, everyone...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just have a brief comment as well. I do support this and I’m glad to see that this amount is back in Municipal and Community Affairs. Obviously, Hay River is one of the communities that has accessed this funding in the past, and I believe we will continue to because we have an active fire department that’s interested in accessing these funds. So it is a pity that it couldn’t be more.

We do still see lots of pressures in the community of Hay River in the fire department that maybe what we see as more of a territorial issue. So the more funding that we can receive from...

I’ll ask my question a little differently. Some of the concerns in the community are about what’s in the building and what’s not in the building, so there is a great deal of concern in the community and that’s what I am referring to, is if the department is planning to have a discussion on what is going to be incorporated in the building. It’s a design/build, how the building is going to look, and get some feedback from the public on this future building in the community of Hay River that’s supposed to represent us for the next 50 years.

My question to that response would be soon and what kind of timeline soon is.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Tony Whitford, as well, and also add that he is an auctioneer. Thanks, Tony.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. WHEREAS Section 23.(1) of the Human Rights Act provides that the Commissioner, on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly, shall appointment a director of human rights to carry out the responsibilities set out in the act;

AND WHEREAS the Board of Management is tasked with recommending an individual to the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Assembly is prepared to make a recommendation to the Commissioner;

NOW THERE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Kam Lake, that Ms. Deborah McLeod of Yellowknife be appointed as director of human rights during...

My next question is as soon as that is completed, does the Minister have any commitments to have a public meeting in the community of Hay River on the building?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Public Works and Services concerning the Hay River hospital and the design/build contract that’s closed just over a month ago. Does the Minister have any information to provide this House about that public tender?