Sandy Lee

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am looking at these numbers here and it says $35,000 for salaries and benefits for the administrator. I don’t think you can hire anybody for $35,000 full time. So I want to know if it’s a part-time position. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate all the things that he's trying to do, but I would like to concentrate on the issue at hand, Mr. Speaker. The issue is that there is plenty of evidence that suggests that giving this contract and keeping this contract in the North would create jobs and it would have major spin-offs in terms of using our electricians, our plumbers, our local labour to do the painting, taping and siding, instead of watching these 20 mobile homes fly in and get plunked in our communities. We have a real opportunity for our local people to work in them and make money at them...

One further question to the Minister of Health. I would have thought that we were doing those immunizations anyway, and we were paying that out of our health budget I would think. I don’t think anybody in the Territories pays for immunizations, especially babies. Unless I am wrong, I am assuming that they have been getting that treatment anyway. So would this not be a little bit of extra help we are getting to our health budget from the federal government? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think he’s at least four days late on that information. Mr. Speaker, I accept that the Minister is an honourable Member and I’m willing to trust his commitment, but I want to know from the Minister and I want him to clarify that he would, in fact, go to Cabinet and ask for a two-week extension. Not just, I will see what I can do, but would he commit to asking for a two-week extension? Yes or no, please, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just a question for clarification. We know that the Minister of Health came and told us that his staff would conduct the immunization campaign, but in the federal budget speech there was some money allocated for the immunization program. I know I asked this question to the Minister of Finance before, but I am not clear as to whether or not we are benefiting from that money, and whether this is just an exercise of moving the money around or is it actually money coming out of the GNWT budget, is it real money? If that is the case, then what has happened with the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Among many anomalies in this process, one of the things I’ve learned also is that the tender documents that were put out for this contract did not even have specifications as to what exactly the Housing Corporation was looking for. They didn’t even have square footage that they were looking for. I have no idea how the Housing Corporation or Cabinet do their calculations if they don’t even know those kinds of assumptions or don’t put them out there. I don’t know how they expect the businesses to apply for it.

Anyway, okay. Thank you. Mr. Speaker…

---Laughter

I have been...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Could I get information as to what this lawsuit is about, and how much money has gone into this lawsuit so far, and how much is expected to go into it? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, where there is a major contract, like providing 45 homes for two years, the government should first consult with northern contractors to see if anyone can do the job. The government has not done that. In fact, they have been putting off paving the way for northern businesses to discourage them. Mr. Speaker, we have a business right here in the North who could do the job on budget, on time and create jobs in the process, but not only do they not get the benefit of a BIP, they don’t even get the courtesy of prior notice and that is wrong and the government has to change that.

Mr...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It appears that I'm going to have to play the lonely role of a contrarian here. I am not going to support this tax bill either, on the basis of many things that I've said. I do believe that we have had a break from the federal government for $50 million. I do believe it is unreasonable to go from a deficit position of $47 million and the federal government gives us $50 million that we were not expecting, and we go into a surplus of $3 million but still pursue an increase in taxation.

Mr. Chairman, I should state -- I think everybody here understands but I just want...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak today about some of the points that are wrong with the way the Housing Corporation is dealing with the purchase of 22 mobile homes.

Mr. Speaker, government should follow its policies like BIP and if it’s going to exempt itself, it should provide justification on a timely basis. Government has not done that. Mr. Speaker, I might point out to you that I am not allowed to buy blank CDs from Wal-Mart out of my office budget even if it’s cheaper to buy from there because they do not fall under the BIP. So why should the Housing Corporation...