Robert Villeneuve

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, Mr. Speaker. I have to concur with the honourable Member to the point that there is definite need in the community. Just to get back to the accommodations set up in the community, I know that there are a lot of professionals that are all living in one unit. That is probably due to the fact that they are probably in a social housing unit, and with the rent scale they have in place one person in each unit can never afford the amount of rent. I wanted to ask the honourable Minister that when these professionals start moving out of the social housing units that were for social...

I am wondering what measures and contract obligations that these southern firms would have to ensure that these units will last at least two to five years, and that this portable housing will not have to be replaced by some more affordable housing in the short term. Mr. Speaker, thank you.

---Applause

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, Madam Chair. Just another question on that issue is on a program or an initiative that has received the positive feedback of all the players who have been involved in this initiative, has basically come to a lot of the Members' attention in the last few months just due to the fact that they knew the program was going to be sunsetted. I'm just wondering if the Minister could give me some indication as to when they do determine, and I don't think it's going to be too hard to determine the effectiveness of this program, through all the correspondence that the Legislative Assembly has...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Premier for that answer. I’m just on my last question assuming that this new expansion project gets the green light. I just wanted to ask the Premier, as with any other project of this magnitude there are always issues and effects that are overlooked or not taken into consideration during the initial negotiation process. I’m just wondering if the government has any strategy whereas this government can assume full responsibility and give compensation to residents for adverse changes and effects that were not taken into consideration during the negotiation...