Rocky Simpson

Thank you, Madam Chair. And I appreciate, I guess, what the Minister had to say about the additional funding and the tiered approach for those that those communities that were impacted by flooding and fires over the past 16 months. You know, it's not going to it's not going to fix everything because, you know, when I look at it, you're probably looking at even if you look at a thousand dollars a day lost in revenue and, you know and in Hay River, people have been out for, you know, up to two and a half two and a half months. And then you take that you take the time into sort of go in and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it has been four years since I was first elected and not many, if anyone, can say they served with their son in any government legislature in Canada, and I am proud that happened here in this 19th Legislative Assembly. Together, I would hope that myself and my son R.J. were able to provide respectful, unbiased, fair, and timely representation to all our constituents in Hay River, something they all expect and deserve.

Mr. Speaker, over the last few years I have asked myself, did these last four years change who I am as a person? I believe it has not, and I...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'm pleased to hear that, and I think the residents and businesses of Hay River will be as well.

Mr. Speaker, will the Minister tell me if the criteria for financial business support will be flexible? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I asked the Minister of Finance and the Minister of ECC to come into this House today and bring with them their compassion, empathy, and a commitment for financial support for businesses and individuals impacted by the wildfire. I guess the answers to my questions, which will be asked, will determine if they did.

So, Mr. Speaker, has the Minister of Finance given any consideration for additional financial support for those that fled the fires and received no financial support for rooms and meals? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yeah, I'd like to thank the committee for the work they did as well, and I will support this bill. I like some of the changes there. The name, I guess, always it seemed to be a concern to some. And I guess it was to me at the beginning but then I thought about it after a while, and Prosper NWT it's actually welcoming. And that's what we need that office to be is to allow people to go in there and feel like they're welcomed there and that they are going to get the support. And then I also see some of the other stuff.

Like, you know, to provide nonfinancial support, which...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Member for Frame Lake, that Committee Report 7619(2), titled Moving Forward: Recommendations for the Incoming 20th Assembly, Report of the Special Committee on Transition Matters, be received by the Assembly and referred to Committee of the Whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, you know, I'm glad with those answers and I think the Minister, you know, heard the pleas, I guess, from, you know, people in the South Slave that have been really devastated over the last while.

So, Mr. Speaker, will the Minister confirm if she and her department continue to pursue additional financial support from the federal government for businesses and individuals impacted by disasters in the South Slave because we need their support as well; we can't do it on our own. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister confirm if there has been any consideration for increased business financial support for the communities of Hay River, K'atlodeeche, and Enterprise based on the devastation over the past 16 months on those communities? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I want to start off by first congratulating Wab Kinew of the NDP on being elected as the next Premier of Manitoba. I know he will be a great leader for the province and its people.

Mr. Speaker, over the last 16 months, businesses in the communities of Hay River, K'atlodeeche, and Enterprise, have been affected by floods and fires. They are now asking for reasonable and timely financial support to rebuild or reopen. Mr. Speaker, to put some perspective on this, I want to provide examples of affected businesses:

Firstly, Castaways Cottages & Campground, a tourist destination, was...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just a quick comment, I guess. Madam Chair, Bill 85 is a start of a new relationship between this government and Indigenous people of the Northwest Territories. Is it a perfect start? Probably not. But it's a move but it is a move in the right direction. It provides the framework for the recognition of a cooperative relationship based on principles of justice, democracy, and human rights. Some, not all Indigenous governments we know, have signed on to this declaration. And in time, I believe that will happen as claims are settled. The Government of Canada, this...