Wendy Bisaro

Mr. Speaker, I guess I just have to say to the Minister that I have a really hard time with the argument that we need to wait for what the U.S. does or we need to align ourselves with the United States. I am sorry, but we are a Territory in and of our own right. We should be doing our own work and setting our own targets. The fact that it is only a small bit in the environment of the world has nothing to do with the fact that we should do it.

I would like to ask the Minister if he can identify, and this is again in terms of energy initiatives, what the GNWT is doing to educate our residents and...

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Minister but, again, I have to ask the same question. I am asking for one document. Does this government have one document which talks about all the energy activities that we do? He’s mentioned that there are a number of documents. I don’t dispute that. There are way too many documents, in my view. He has also talked about strategies which we paid for many millions of dollars. Where are those? Why aren’t we using them? Is there one document which coordinates all our energy activities? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I considered a subject for my Member’s statement today, I realized I have been taking the government to task for the past week, some might say too harshly. So I thought I would take a look around and see if I could find a few good things happening within the GNWT and the Legislative Assembly. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that I found lots of good results.

For instance, during last year’s budget debate I was very vocal about the millions earmarked for the Olympics, but the money was approved and now the work has been done and the value of the money spent...

Thanks to the Minister. You didn’t mention Aven Manor here in Yellowknife and it also is a long-term care facility, I presume. I’m somewhat concerned, I guess, that the territorial dementia facility is a very specialized facility. It is long-term care, yes, but it requires… Patients in there have very particular needs and they can’t be accommodated in just any long-term care facility. So I’m a little bit concerned that the dementia centre has been included in the definition of long-term care facilities.

My other question has to do with the success or failure; I presume its success to date. But...

Point taken. I understand totally. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a couple of questions here. The first one relates to, again, the Foundation for Change document proposal and the changes that are being worked through. About a year ago, we dealt with a very difficult issue of board reform. I am just wondering if the Minister has any idea at this point how the Foundation for Change planning will impact or will coordinate with any possible changes in terms of board reform. Thank you.

I have another question on this page relative to the other recoveries and the reciprocal billing for Nunavut, basically. In reviewing the Stanton Territorial Hospital annual report, I was struck that in some areas, many of the areas, up to 25 percent of their provision of services, the cost of the provision of those services is for Nunavut patients and for servicing Nunavut communities. It varies, depending upon the area, anywhere from 10 to 25 percent, from what I could figure out. It really struck me that we are probably being paid back for the actual physician costs and for the actual cost...

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, February 4, 2010, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on February 4, 2010, it shall be adjourned until Monday, February 8, 2010; and further, that any time prior to February 8, 2010, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and the 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...

I accept the Minister’s response, but again, that plan, the Ministerial Energy Coordinating Committee does not look beyond the Government of the Northwest Territories. If we’re going to have anything that is going to get us to a good place, we need to involve all the residents of the Territories, not just this government and its employees. Again, there is no one body which is looking at all of the things that we do in terms of energy and putting it under one roof. The Ministerial Energy Coordinating Committee, for instance, I don’t believe is involved in an education campaign to try and get...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are addressed to the Finance Minister and the lead Minister for the Refocusing Government committee. I’d like to ask the Minister, in the preparation of the 2010-11 budget by the Minister, what consideration was given to the coordination of energy projects and initiatives to coordinate them into one area or one body, and was that reflected in the budget. Thank you.