Robert Villeneuve

A good example of this was displayed here on this side of the House yesterday, if you recall, Mr. Speaker.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, myself being a new Member of this 15th Legislative Assembly, I have learned in the past year that things have to change and change is good. I support the residents of the Lutselk’e First Nations in addressing their issues with their leadership and the accountability concerns that they have in their financial management regime because these, I feel, are legitimate concerns and should not be construed as a personal attack toward anyone in the community.

In closing, Mr...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I just want to wish everybody in the House and the general public a happy Valentine’s Day today, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to speak about the need for improved communications within the government system and to the public in general from our public service, Mr. Speaker. I know this is not a new issue, but I’m particularly concerned about communications in departments like Education, Culture and Employment and Health and Social Services where the need to relocate to another community or perhaps down south is primarily determined by the type of communication that is received...

WHEREAS Robert McLeod has been elected as the Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes;

AND WHEREAS a number of changes to standing committee and Board of Management appointments have been recommended by the Striking Committee;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Range Lake, that the following appointments be rescinded:

Mr. Robert Hawkins, Member for Yellowknife Centre, to the Standing Committee on Social Programs;

Mr. Robert Villeneuve, Member for Tu Nedhe, to the Board of Management as an alternate; and

Mr. Norman Yakeleya, Member for Sahtu, to the Standing Committee on...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just got up to let the Members know that I cannot support the amendment to the motion due to the fact that there is a lot of other concerns that the Striking Committee, in drafting up the original motion, did take into consideration and that this amendment doesn’t really address a lot of those issues. It’s just basically a status quo amendment to a motion, where the original motion is basically taking more consideration about regional balances and working together as Accountability and Oversight committee members, as was discussed this morning, and I think that the...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I will use my Member's statement to reiterate my full support for the staff members of Dene K'onia who travelled all the way from Hay River yesterday just for the day, to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the government's proposed expenditure reductions; specifically in the Department of Justice on youth rehabilitation and reintegration.

Mr. Speaker, many of my constituents in Tu Nedhe -- mind you, not by choice -- rely heavily on the services that have been provided by the youth centre in Hay River. They count on these services, not just for their...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess maybe the Minister didn’t quite get the question I was trying to get at. I will try to rephrase it. I know there aren’t any communities in their right mind that are going to refuse free money, as the Minister referred to it. With this free money, this extra $350,000 in operating revenue that’s going to be flowing to the communities, how is MACA, who is going to be retaining all these other tasks of printing out rolls and doing the appeals process and the tax collection and the administration and all that stuff, going to subsidize their own work into this whole...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess just like what the Minister has stated that a lot of the communities are not all in tune with this new deal and I’m not sure if they know whether it’s a good deal or a bad deal yet. I guess with the inaccuracy of the assessment rolls to date, because there is a nine-year gap between the new roll and the old roll, and the resources to manage these assessment rolls are tasks that the communities are going to require, like the assessors, the administrative staff, the tax collectors, the equipment to print the assessment rolls, the tax notices, the property notices...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about some government financial management policies on payment for services from local contractors, especially from small businesses operating in small, remote communities. I’m sure many of the Members of this House have received or heard similar concerns from their constituents with regard to the 90 days it takes for this government to issue payment for services it receives, although the Financial Administration Manual indicates a 20-day payment schedule for these services.

This three-month delay, Mr. Speaker, can cause the downfall of many...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That satisfies my question on the resources required for this gigantic task for each community. I just want to ask the Minister what plans the government has for the communities that do not want to take this new deal that has been offered to them. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, since he is on a roll here.

---Laughter

I guess it says here in the budget address that the interim measure beginning April 1, 2005, the new deal is going to be rolled out with Municipal and Community Affairs with regard to property tax, revenues collected within the general taxation area of the NWT, which includes 27 communities, Mr. Speaker. I just want to ask the Minister how the new deal that the Minister is going to be bringing out April 1st is going to address the issues that we have in...