Sandy Lee

Holy cow!

Supplementary To Question 384-15(3): State Of Winter Roads In The Sahtu Region

Thank you. Are these outstanding appeals just moving along with the process, or is there something extraordinary that’s getting in the way of it or are they just going through the process? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you. I'll leave that topic of diamond guarantees and the secondary diamond industry. I just want to offer some comments about the consolidation of the human resources function of the government. I want to put on record, Mr. Chairman, that I do support this initiative that the government is engaged in, largely due to the desire that I have for better and more effective functioning of management of human resources and not in any way as a cost-cutting measure. I think it's important for the people out there to know that really this was never engaged as a cost-cutting measure.

I hear this...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I had comments I would like to make about the consolidation of the human resources section. Before I do that, I would like to make some comments and observations about this debate going on about the loan guarantees and the receivership for the secondary diamond industry.

First of all, I do believe that this is an important industry. I do believe that the diamond industry in general is one that we have to appreciate for all that it has done for our economy. I do support the previous government and the current government for having worked hard to encourage and foster...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask some more questions to Mr. Dent about the national childcare debate that’s going on and the meetings that he attended over the weekend. Mr. Speaker, lest there be any opinion out there that we have this huge functioning child day care program in the NWT given the Minister’s answers earlier, I think it should be a very clear understanding that we don’t have that. What we have is a very basic minimum, income tested day care subsidy. I don’t know if anybody has noticed the careful skating around that the Minister did in answering my question...

Thank you, but the questions that have been brought to me have to do with businesses that have been in existence for quite a few years, and that had been submitting taxes and payroll taxes. Now, two or three years later -- in one case, it is still a very rapidly growing business -- they might have been employing 10 people three years ago and are now employing 300 people. They are advertising; they have a strong presence in the city as well as in the surrounding communities. They have been called twice within a span of two months asking if they were going to be remitting taxes. They said, of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, I would like to know if the Minister was to get the money that he’s looking for or somewhere near to that, what is the plan of this government in terms of putting in its own money? Is there any plan for the government to put in its own money? I’ll leave it at that for this question. Thank you.

Thank you. That gives us a $1.5 million savings. Will the Minister consider using that money to build an indoor gym in Nahanni Butte?

---Laughter

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask questions in furtherance today on day care programs, Mr. Speaker, and my questions go to Minister Dent. Mr. Speaker, we’re all aware of the weekend meetings that were held with his provincial counterparts and other territorial Ministers responsible for day care, including the federal Minister Dryden. Could the Minister update us as to what transpired at that meeting and what seem to be the points of agreement that they still have to reach? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Chairman, thank you. I thank the Minister for that answer. Staying on the same topic of insurance, but not exactly the same as I have been asking about. The committee's report on the insurance speaks about the fact that the government has changed its deductible amount to $10 million to decrease the premium cost, but at the same time accepting more risks. For the record, could I ask the Minister whether the government has undertaken an analysis of the cost and benefit picture, of changing this risk versus cost and what their findings are so far? Thank you.