Sandy Lee

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As the Minister indicated earlier, this did not go through a public hearing process because all the Members, not only the Social Programs committee, but AOC, all 11 Members on this side of the floor felt this had to be done and it had to be done quickly. I know there is at least one constituent of mine who is sitting there waiting to see if this is going to go through. But I know there are lots of other students who would benefit from having more room to borrow. So I just want to thank the Minister and the government for moving quickly on this and the Members for...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Could I ask the Minister or his officials whether there has been any consultation with the Construction Association to make sure that this approach is acceptable to them?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just want to also add my support for the lines of comments that the Member for Sahtu has already mentioned and to put on record to make sure adequate resources and preparations are put in place in the Inuvik office to carry out the provisions of this legislation.

This is important legislation. While it may not be as sexy as other things like…I don’t know. I guess there is lots of sexy legislation. This is sort of the nuts and bolts the government is responsible for and if not done properly, it could cause a lot of headache and hardship for our residents....

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate his answer but I have to tell you that this has been an ongoing issue for a long time and the last deadline I had from his officials was that they were hoping to have it in place by the end of July. The latest date I’m getting is by the end of September. I’d like to accept the Minister’s answer for what it is, but I have to believe there must be other reasons why it’s delaying that. I’m wondering if he could give reasons as to why the complications and could he communicate with us, to me, in writing, as to exactly what’s behind it, why the delay, and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t have all the names but I’d just like to recognize the UNW executive in the gallery: Mr. Parsons, Ms. Wyness, and sitting next to him, he’s not with the UNW, but Byrne Richards, who works very hard on the Aurora Oxford Home. I’d also like to recognize Sue Glowach and Lydia Bardak. Thank you.

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Thank you, Ms. Lee. Just briefly, I just want to say something that was not included in the chair’s remarks, and I’m speaking as a Member, of course, but I think the briefness and conciseness of the chair’s report and the Minister’s report, I mean statement, does not, they do not speak to the weight and depth and breadth of this legislation. It’s quite a substantial piece of legislation that has had many years of work by many, many people, not only in the department but in the medical profession and health care professions and I think that should be recognized. I think because of the fact...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to report to the Assembly that the Standing Committee on Social Programs has reviewed Bill 12, Public Health Act, and Bill 13, Change of Name Act, and wishes to report that Bill 12 and 13 are now ready for Committee of the Whole.

The committee has already completed its review of Bill 14, Employment Standards Act, and wishes to report that Bill 14 is now ready for Committee of the Whole, as amended and reprinted.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don’t think I’m suggesting that government comes up and adapt a whole new software program to address this. I’m talking about the network of people who are required to actually sit in front of the computer and enter these numbers or whatever they have to do to put the process in place and data in place to get the software to do whatever it has to do. A lot of people who are not having to do that right now don’t want to experience the kind of stories they are hearing from other people who are having to spend a lot of time dealing with it. So until...

I don’t know. These software problems. Mr. Speaker, could I just ask the Minister to make a commitment to either make a statement in this House to confirm that he’s going to do this, when he’s going to do it so that I have something in writing, or he could write me a letter so that I could have a commitment? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question today is to the Minister of Transportation. It’s in regards to something that I have been working on with his department and it has to do with the driver's licence. Mr. Speaker, lots of coverage has been made in the issue. The new format, while it’s very good and very needed, and it takes up security questions, but it doesn’t have the system in place to accommodate long names. I know that department…and people could have all kinds of reasons for having long names. My constituent, in particular, has four names she was given by birth and she...