Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, committee. Public Works and Services, capital investment expenditures, not previously authorized, asset management, not previously authorized, $6.320 million.

Thank you, committee. Page 14, Transportation continued, capital investment expenditures, road licensing and safety, not previously authorized, $881,000.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all I would like to thank those Members for their words of support for this motion. I would like to talk a bit about a couple of things.

Cost has been mentioned in a number of different contexts. Yukon spends $600,000 or $700,000 a year for their ombudsman office. I would suggest that we are hardly anywhere near the size of Quebec, so I can’t see us spending $13 million on an ombudsman office. I expect we would spend approximately the same amount of money as the Yukon. I also expect we would see some savings in our court system and justice system as a result...

Mr. Hawkins, it is on this page. Carry on.

Thank you, committee. Page 8, Finance, capital investment expenditures, office of the controller general, not previously authorized, $661,000.

Thank you, Minister Ramsay. Members, before we go on, I would like to recognize a visitor in the gallery, Mr. Sonny Greenland, who is here visiting from Inuvik. Welcome to the House.

Members, we are on page 13, Transportation, capital investment expenditures, highways, not previously authorized, $62.342 million. Mr. Hawkins, do you have anything new to contribute to this discussion?

WHEREAS nine Canadian provinces and the Yukon Territory have parliamentary ombudsman offices;

AND WHEREAS the Northwest Territories does not have an independent ombudsman office with a broad and comprehensive mandate to investigate complaints about the practices and services of public agencies and to promote fair, reasonable, appropriate, and equitable administrative practices and services for Northwest Territories residents;

AND WHEREAS an independent ombudsman office could provide an alternative to the courts to address both individual disputes and systemic issues;

AND WHEREAS an independent...

Thank you, committee. Page 13, Transportation, capital investment expenditures, not previously authorized, airports, $8.880 million.