Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask some further questions to the Minister of ENR to follow up on some of the questions that I asked earlier to see if we can get some clarification as to what the department can do to advise our public and our residents about the results of the consultations that have happened relative to the Wildlife Act.

The Minister at one point, I think in his last response, said he didn’t know what I have in mind, so maybe I will try and explain to him what I do have in mind. There were numerous consultations. There were notes taken at those meetings. There were...

To the Minister, I appreciate that the changes will be made in the act and that the act will come forward, but at the consultations that I attended there were specific questions from individuals and organizations and there were assurances to those people and those organizations that their questions would be answered, that they would be advised of answers to their questions. So again I ask the Minister, will people be answered? Will the questions that people asked be answered not in the act but in a letter, in an e-mail? We owe it to the people that made presentations and asked questions to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions as well today are addressed to the Minister for Environment and Natural Resources and I want to follow up on my statement.

I mentioned a number of concerns that I’ve heard from constituents with regard to the draft Wildlife Act. I’d like to ask the Minister first off, he mentioned, I believe it was last week, that he was on draft number 54 of the act. I’d like to know what draft number we’re on now, and as a result of that, what changes have been made to the draft act as a direct result of concerns expressed during the consultation process. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just have a question here in regard to the revenue for early learning and child care. There is none in this proposed budget. Could I ask why?

I appreciate that the Minister and the department don’t disagree with my point of view but, unfortunately, there’s no indication on the part of the department that money is going to be attached to this particular philosophy. That is a large concern. Thank you. No question there either.

I’m sorry, I need clarification on those numbers. I heard $250,000 for a total of $500,000. Could I get the other half of the $500,000, please?

Mr. Speaker, I would like to reference a comment that the Minister made relative to the conference of management authorities. He said that the GNWT has three seats on this body. If GNWT has three seats, will the Minister agree to have one seat for a GNWT representative and allow those two other seats to be filled by members of the public or public organizations? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Minister for that. I would hope that that information would be on the website sooner rather than later and that there would be some public statement to that effect.

There has been concern. I certainly heard concerns at the meetings I was at about infringement on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms by some of the provisions or some of the clauses in the draft act. I would like to know from the Minister what the department has done to deal with those concerns, those legal issues. I understand that there may be some kind of a legal opinion being sought, that the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that the Speaker be authorized to set such sitting days and hours as the Speaker, after consultation, deems fit to assist with the business before the House.

I thank the Minister for, I guess, being very... She answered my next question before I asked it, but I didn’t get an answer to the first one. I’d like to know from the Minister whether or not this review will look at the after-care needs of patients and look at the service providers who try to provide that after-care. I would also like to know relative to patients being released early, which is where the Minister went, is can we look at legislation and change our legislation to assist in that particular area of difficulty.