Sandy Lee

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, too, wish to speak in favour of this motion and, Mr. Speaker, I would like to spend my time talking about not why we need this resource revenue sharing deal but how I think we should get it. Of course, I don’t have the million dollar answers there, but perhaps I could add my argument here, Mr. Speaker. Let me just put it on record that I support resource development and the benefits to be gained from that, Mr. Speaker. I have to say that the last time I was in Inuvik, I hadn’t been there for a little while and I got to see the new Mackenzie Hotel for...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That answer was so general it’s really hard to tell whether he is saying that he’ll go with state of the status quo, the way it is now with the existing guidelines, or whether or not government is confirming its commitment made by the previous Health Minister that it will really take a look and be proactive to figure out what is going on at the hospital and what government has to do to fix it. So will the Minister commit that very specifically to the Stanton issue, not just human resource issues in government in general as he’s stating? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are going to be on the review of the situation at the Stanton Hospital. But seeing as that involves both Health and Social Services and Human Resources and we don’t have a permanent Health and Social Services Minister yet, I will direct my question to the Minister of Human Resources. I’m wondering, Mr. Speaker, given that whatever comes out of this review, I’d like to ask the Minister as the Human Resources Minister whether or not the government will be able to meet the deadline that was set by the former Minister of Health to finish that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this morning the headline in Globe and Mail reads, “Ottawa Awash in Surplus Cash” and I have to tell you I felt sick to my stomach when I started thinking about how much worse our friends in the NGO community must feel having to live through the latest cuts and having to tell their clients that their services will be less or none, even though the federal government is awash in cash.

Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, it started getting worse when I started thinking about the topic of discussion today, especially when I started imagining the time down the road when...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would also like to welcome and thank Ms. Golding and Mr. Henderson for being with us and waiting patiently for this momentous event for them.

Mr. Chair, the Standing Committee on Social Programs conducted its public review of Bill 6, Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act, on September 5, 2006, and October 16, 2006. The committee would like to thank the members of the Northwest Territories Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists for appearing before the committee to speak in support of this long-awaited modernization of the act. The...

I heard that and that's a call of alarm in my opinion. That is telling us that the NWT government does not have veto power, no aboriginal government has veto power, and if we are thinking leaders and responsible leaders and we don't want to fail the people, we have to take that as a challenge from the federal government, that we know what we want, we want a pipeline, we think the North has a useful role to play in terms of meeting the energy needs of the world, and of any kind of resource requirements because we have a ton of them, and we will do as little as what we need to do to get it....

I can't remember what the exact word is. We're a creature…

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last follow-up. As I’ve stated and other Members have stated, I do believe that there is no question that the biggest area of concern with what’s happening at Stanton is the recruitment and retention issue and management and morale issue, for whatever reason. I’m not assigning blame, but I think that’s the thing. That needs an involvement and leadership on the part of the Minister of Human Resources. So could I get the Minister to make a personal commitment, as Minister of Human Resources, that he’ll see to it that a solution is found and then acted upon? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think I’m prepared to accept being compassionate and considerate that the government may not be able to meet this two-week deadline, but I would be happy to just have the government follow up on the commitment made by the previous Minister that there will be a review of what is happening, all the array of staff issues and morale issues at Stanton Hospital, and that it will involve a direct communication of the CEO and the deputy minister, if necessary, with the front-line workers division by division. That was a big commitment. That’s more important to me...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just for the record, I just want to state my position on this motion. I would also like to thank the Member for Monfwi, and I'd also like to thank the Member for Great Slave. I know they have been working very closely to get a consensus in this regard. I mean we all worked on it, but I'd like to especially mention them.

I think we're having very good discussions here and I have to tell you that given the will of the House that just has been shown where the motion to accept the commission's recommendation has been defeated, I think that the picture is quite clear...