Wendy Bisaro

Thanks very much for the explanation. That’s all I have.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Friday, May 13, 2011, I will move the following motion: now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that this Assembly formally revokes the appointment of the Honourable Sandy Lee as a Member of the Executive Council. Thank you.

I guess I need to ask the Minister a written question, perhaps, to show me exactly how we reach 3 percent when we started something just under 3 percent and ask for millions and millions of dollars. I wonder why we don’t go over the 3 percent cap.

I’d like to ask the Minister as well, he talked about finding critical investments, sorry, financing critical investments by finding partners in the private sector to assist us with certain large projects. It’s well known that our last effort with private partners was rather controversial and it’s unfortunately still ongoing. I’d like to know from the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Finance. I would like to thank the Minister at the outset for the fiscal and economic update that he provided us today, but I have a few questions with regard to some of the statements in his statement.

Initially, my first question goes to the announcement that BHP Billiton made recently that they plan to invest, along with partners, some $323 million in the NWT in the Ekati Diamond Mine as they go to expanding one of their pipes. I think that’s great news. Initially, I thought that was wonderful, we’re spending an...

I almost got it all in. We as MLAs would be well advised to listen to what our residents were telling us.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I recently held a constituency meeting in advance of session, something I’ve made a habit of doing since I was elected. It was a very successful meeting and I heard a number of valid concerns from those who were in attendance and I would like to share those with you in the House.

In regard to legislation, two things came up. First, there was a need expressed for the NWT to have a building standards act. When any government in the NWT, whether it be local, territorial, or regional, approves the construction of a building, what governs how it is built? Who inspects or...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You had to wake me up there.

---Laughter

I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on Thursday, March 10, 2011, it shall be adjourned until Wednesday, May 11, 2011;

AND FURTHER, that any time prior to May 11, 2011, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I support this motion. I believe that the intent and the background for this motion is very similar to something that I raised in the House last week. I was talking about transitional housing. This is talking about public housing.

---Interjection

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this motion goes to the most basic of our Territory’s needs, that of supporting our people, and it goes to the heart of the philosophy that this government espouses.

According to our strategic planning document from October of 2007, we aim for healthy, educated people. We will accomplish that, we said in October 2007, by a focus on prevention by promoting healthy choices and lifestyles and the role of personal and family responsibility. A focus on prevention, like teaching kids what healthy foods are so they eat the right things and grow and develop as they...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to direct the Minister’s attention to a recommendation which comes in paragraph 31, the second part of which says, “develop performance agreements that include expected results for key programs and services, and corresponding reporting requirements.” Those are the words from the Auditor General in her report.

I’d like to ask the Minister, on another note, the Auditor General also mentions in her report that there’s no formal mechanism to monitor compliance with the GNWT’s Medical Travel Policy or to assess the program performance of the Medical Travel Program. I...