Wendy Bisaro

I think that is it. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will be supporting this motion as well. In regard to addressing the motion, it is very difficult to know where to start. Like the supplementary health benefits proposal, this particular board reform proposal is wrong in so many places that I really don’t know where I should start to speak against it, so I will just start and carry on.

I have said before, and I think I said earlier today, that some board reform is necessary. I believe that we have too many boards and that there ought to be some consolidation of boards and we ought to try and find some efficiencies...

I guess I will have to take that answer as no, there was no research or analysis done. I would like to ask the Minister why, in that case, when a model was proposed that the consultation, such as it is, that is currently being undertaken, why was there not a number of options presented? Why was one model or option presented as the way to go and people asked to comment on that one? Why were there not four, five or six different models proposed and people asked for comment on that? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess I need to ask the Minister what this government is going to have in place as of April 1st, 2009, that is going to be of benefit to the people in our communities to reduce their food costs.

I appreciate the answer. It doesn’t really go to the point of the motion passed by the Members on this side of the House. I believe that the government is trying to reduce the cost of living, but I think that one of the ways that it’s going to be done is to try to provide commercial power subsidy and that is intended to reduce the cost of living for goods and services. I guess I would need to ask the Minister or the Premier when we can expect to see this kind of reduction in the cost of living in concrete actual programs, when it’s going to be on the ground and in effect such that it’s going...

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to recognize Mr. James Boylan, who I can’t see up behind me but I know he’s there. If there are any other constituents of Frame Lake, welcome to the Assembly. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I, too, would like to state that the comments from Mr. Abernethy have pretty much covered everything. He has done an excellent job in summarizing comments we have heard from any number of constituents, residents of the Territory, seniors, those who are non-seniors but who also are affected by the change in this program.

At the outset, I want to say that I am in favour of this motion wholeheartedly. As stated in my Member’s statement the other day, I feel that this is poorly thought out, poorly presented and based on a poor policy and this program should not go into effect.

The...

That’s, unfortunately, the answer that I was expecting. Our communities need assistance now. We need a program that can be put in place sooner rather than later. I feel that yes, I’m appreciative we’re going to be consulted on this particular program of a power subsidy, if that’s what it is, but that’s going to take months. Literally months. Probably a year at least before it’s in place. A milk subsidy is a targeted program and it is one that I think can actually be put in place within a matter of a short few months and probably could be in place for the first of April at the beginning of...

I have a couple of questions for the Minister of Finance. As part of the budget yesterday...I’ll back up. Some months ago this Assembly passed a motion from Regular Members which stated that a milk subsidy should be incorporated into the activities of this government. It’s well known that milk is an extremely healthful food and an excellent part of a preventative diet for children in particular.

I’d like to ask the Minister of Finance, since there was no mention of the milk subsidy in the budget address yesterday, whether or not a milk subsidy for children from zero to age 12, for instance...

At the outset I have to say that I’m dismayed that this motion has come to the floor. But it’s nothing that I take lightly. It was a long time in coming and I think I want everybody to know that this is not something which was a spur of the moment decision on anybody’s part. I had hopes that we as the 16th Assembly could have found a different or better solution, but there is none to be had.

I feel that I am driven to this step for a number of reasons, and these are my own personal reasons, my own views, my own opinions, my own feelings. Primary among these reasons is a loss in confidence in...