Robert Villeneuve

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am going to raise the important issue relevant to seniors and the contributions they make to our society. I met with the Seniors’ Society last week here in Yellowknife and also another elders’ committee from Lutselk’e yesterday.

Although these meetings were bound together under different circumstances, the underlying points raised during these discussions were very similar: issues pertaining to health services, acute and outpatient care, and community health representation, just to name a few, and many other issues related to housing and seniors’ and elders’...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just one quick question on the Public Works and Services. I know the renovations for this office space, is that going to…Oh, okay, I'm answering my own question here, I just didn't read it. I didn't see the Human Rights Commission being in there. I just saw it now. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I guess as everybody in the room is well aware, over the past couple of weeks when we were going over the budgets, that forced growth consumes millions and millions of government dollars that we have to deal with. A lot of points came up by a lot of Members saying that maybe we should put some belt tightening measures on forced growth. Something like this tax initiative, although it's regrettable that I would have to support something like this, I know that our fiscal framework taken into consideration is something that we're just going to have to do.

All I'm just...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have to concur with the other Members that on the short time that we’ve been allowed to review and respond to these taxation changes and I can appreciate the public’s concerns with the changes as far as the Chamber of Commerce and the Construction Association are concerned.

Just to comment on some of the newer Members’ concerns about the business plan review and such. I have to give some consideration to the government’s staff that has probably reviewed a lot of the options that are being brought forward today in this committee with the concerns about lowering the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just to realize what the Member was eluding to that many people in the NWT live in trailer units, Mr. Speaker, I am well aware of that. But a lot of these trailer units are older units and they are put together by very big nails. The newer units are usually a little more cost effective and, therefore, they are put together with three-quarter inch staples. I wanted to ask the Minister about the affordable housing crisis that he is addressing, and the communities that these affordable housing units will be accommodating to probably professionals that have full-time...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to ask the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation about the issue of the housing units that will be going into Deninu Kue and these other communities in the NWT. On the question of affordable housing versus maximum benefits in relation to this whole tendering process and the BIP and what not, my question really has nothing to do with the business incentive policy, although the community does welcome the opportunity to have a little bit of employment in that market and in getting site preparation and that stuff done for these units....

Sure. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Like I said, it's just some cautionary measure that we should consider before looking at any more tax increases such as this.

But regrettably, like I said, I will be supporting the bill because I don't think it's a whole lot of dollars we're talking about. That's all I have to say. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just have a question on this new initiative. I guess I concur with the Finance Minister that the half a percentage point increase of a person grossing more than $80,000 a year is not really a big chunk of money that we're talking about. Out of $80,000 wages, $7.50 is not a heck of a lot of money, but I think it's just the principle that people tend to look at more than what are the actual dollar amounts that they'll be paying out.

I just wanted to ask the Minister of the 4,600 taxpayers in the NWT that are going to be affected by these...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I thank the Minister and his colleagues for meeting with us today. I just have a couple questions with regard to the opening remarks by the Minister in the new program reductions and reinvestment in key areas. I was pretty sure that Mr. Delorey had stole my notes somehow, because he pretty much asked most of the questions that I was going to present, so I guess it's going to be pretty short. Again I can't stress any more than a lot of my colleagues who have already stressed the importance of the early childhood development initiative as far as development kids in...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m just wondering if this government is going to develop any plans that would address the levels of compensation and benefits of residents, some of whom would be more directly affected than others by this hydro project? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.