Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I look forward to this opportunity to ask questions to the Health Minister regarding crack and prescription drug use and what we are doing about it.

I was talking to my eight-year-old son yesterday, and this is no word of a lie and I dare anyone to counter that. He told me he heard about crack, and I’m telling you that was a shock to my wife and I to hear about it. We asked him what this is and he says, the kids talk about it at school. It’s not about one school, it’s the fact it upsets me and actually really ticks me off that my eight-year-old son is starting to...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have a couple of motions to read and I will obviously do them one at a time.

I move that subclause 173(1) of Bill 3 be amended by deleting paragraph (z.6) and substituting the following:

(z.6) respecting exemptions from the requirements under subsections 48(1) and (2) to complete an approved harvester training course and prescribing provisions of the act and the regulations for the purpose of subjection 48(2);

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that Bill 3 be amended by adding the following after clause 98:

Mandatory Reporting Requirement

98.1 A person who harvests wildlife in the Northwest Territories shall report the wounding, killing or capture of big game or other prescribed wildlife when requested by the Minister or in accordance with the regulations.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have a motion to move. I move that Bill 3 be amended by deleting clause 26.1. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I would like to read in a motion for the record. I move that clause 26 of Bill 3 be amended by adding the following after subclause (2):

(3) A person who has not received a written response from a local harvesting committee, local band council or Metis council within 60 days after making a written request to the organization for a recommendation for a special harvester licence may, in writing, request the Minister to contact the organization to inquire about the status of the request.

(4) On receiving a request under subsection (3), the Minister may contact the local...

Mr. Speaker, we need an answer to this question. Why are engineered power rates okay if you’re outside of Yellowknife but not in Yellowknife? It’s a question of fairness.

The only thing the Minister didn’t do there is thank me for giving him such a platform or soapbox to provide a Minister’s statement to in defence.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister used, as a distracting technique, to start talking about commercial rates. I keep talking about residential rates for the working family. As I said, and the Minister did pick up that 1,000 kilowatts is more expensive in Yellowknife than it is in Iqaluit. It is certainly way more expensive, twice as expensive in Yellowknife versus Whitehorse.

What immediate relief can the Minister of the NWT Power Corp do? We engineer the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said yesterday, Yellowknife is number one; the Northwest Territories is number one. What was that again? We’re number one. Power rates continue to be the highest.

If you take 1,000 kilowatts here in Yellowknife, you have to pay over $300; 1,000 kilowatts in Iqaluit, $275. We continue to be number one and we get dwarfed by Whitehorse where a thousand kilowatts only charges you $146. We’re number one, thanks to the Premier in his old job when he re-engineered the power rates. He engineered the communities’ rates, which I am certainly happy that he did help them...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just wanted to use this last second to say thank you to the Minister. He did hear a lot of the issues committee had raised, although, as you heard from other Members, we had not been able to get them all as far as we wanted to, but he was willing to work with us and, as such, you can see today the support of Cabinet on all of those motions. Could we have had more? I’m not sure. We may have wanted more sometimes, but it’s all about trying to get the best bill and work together and get a solution for everyone. Certainly I’m pleased to support this bill at large.

Once...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that subclause 173(1) of Bill 3 be amended by adding the following after paragraph (z.26):

(z.26.a) respecting exceptions to sections 62.1 and prescribing wildlife and time periods for the purpose of that section;

Thank you, Madam Chair.