Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to deal with the rules amendments motion I gave notice of earlier today.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Friday, December 9, 2011, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Deh Cho, that the Rules of the Legislative Assembly be amended by rescinding Rule 85 and substituting the following:

85.

(1)

At its first sitting after a general election, the Assembly shall appoint a Striking Committee of five Members to report and recommend, with all convenient speed, Members to comprise the following standing committees of the Assembly:

on Economic Development and Infrastructure;

on Government Operations;

on...

Thanks to the Premier. I’m really pleased to hear that these recommendations are being reviewed and I would hope that they are being seriously reviewed. The Minister mentioned that they will continue funding particularly in regard to stabilizing existing shelters. I would hope that that would be core funding and not just one-time funding, because that is the specific request of the coalition.

I’d like to know from the Minister, as they review these recommendations and as they consider additions or deletions or whatever to the business plans upcoming, how will the Minister, how will the Minister...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to follow up on my Member’s statement, and I would address these questions to the Minister responsible for Women and the Executive.

I would like to, again, commend all my male colleagues for wearing a white ribbon today, and I would hope that you don’t just wear the white ribbon today but that you will continue to wear the white ribbon throughout the year as an indication of your pledge to actively work against violence against women.

The Coalition on Family Violence Action Plan 2 has certainly done a lot of work. It has increased the awareness and the...

In the last 10 years we’ve made progress in battling family violence and particularly violence against women. Increased access to shelters is just one example of the coalition’s successes. Now is not the time to stop the activities of the coalition. Ongoing and constructive work must continue. The job is not yet complete. We cannot yet say our future has no violence against women.

I will have questions for the Minister of the Executive at the appropriate time.

Thanks to the Premier. I appreciate that commitment and I’m really pleased to hear that the option of a no-interest loan will be considered. My usual last answer – I’m only asking three questions today, Mr. Speaker – is when can we, I, the city, expect a response from government regarding their proposal? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are in follow-up to my Member’s statement.

I’d like to ask the Premier, relative to the comments that he made on Wednesday, unedited Hansard indicated that the Premier had said that he would be willing to support a loan guarantee for the project to replace the water and sewer infrastructure at Northland. I’d like to ask the Premier to explain to me what is meant by a loan guarantee and how is that beneficial to the city and to the project.

I thank the Premier for his remarks. He had stated that the project cost was $8 million and I took a little bit of exception to that. I’m pleased that he’s changed his number to $18 million, because that is much closer to the project cost. If I add up the numbers that the Premier just mentioned, I don’t get it being reduced. He said half the cost; I don’t get it being reduced to $9 million. I think there still is, even with the reduced paving, even with the loan guarantee, I think the cost of the project is out of the reach of most members that live in Northland.

I’d like to know from the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During the election campaign, going door to door talking with my constituents, one particular concern came up again and again. They expressed their desire for this government to provide assistance to solve that concern.

I speak, of course, about the extreme and urgent water and sewer infrastructure situation in the Northland Mobile Home Park in my riding. Concern was expressed to me by park residents but also by many other Frame Lake constituents. This is a problem that all Yellowknifers are concerned about and a problem that Yellowknifers expect the GNWT to help with.

C...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think we’re going to have to call Great Slave the DM riding. I have one DM I’d like to recognize, constituent Dan Daniels, deputy minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Constituent Lyda Fuller, who is the executive director of the Yellowknife YWCA. I’d also like to recognize a good old – not in age – friend, Ms. Debbie DeLancey. It’s good to have you back, Debbie. Lorraine Phaneuf and Annemieke Mulders from the Status of Women Council of the NWT. I’d also like to recognize Al Shortt, chair of Yellowknife Education District No. 1. Welcome all.