Robert Hawkins

Mr. Speaker, I would like to use the opportunity to welcome our Chinese delegation, our deputy consul as well as his colleagues, so I would like to say to him… [English translation not provided.] Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to report to the Assembly that the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure has reviewed Bill 13, An Act to Repeal the Curfew Act; and Bill 14, An Act to Repeal the Pawnbrokers and Second-hand Dealers Act, and wishes to report that Bills 13 and 14 are ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole.

Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure has reviewed Bill 3, Wildlife Act, and wishes to report that Bill 3 as amended and reprinted is also ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole. Thank you, Mr...

When I was at the open house a couple of weeks ago, one of the Yellowknife Dene councillors asked if there was a way to solve this problem, and asked us to make the arsenic inert in a way that it doesn’t cause any problem. The staff said there is no way of dealing with this. Quite frankly, it is because no one is looking at it. Out of 56 recommendations, there is not one that talks about innovation. It’s almost like we need a Donald Trump here in the Northwest Territories, or a Richard Branson, saying how important this is for humanity to talk about let’s find a breakthrough.

That said, there...

Mr. Speaker, it should be no secret by now that I’m concerned about the way the Giant Mine has been left and the fact that arsenic is being left in the ground and certainly frozen there for the end of time. Whenever that may be scheduled, I don’t think we should give up on trying to find a solution. No Northerner asked for this tragedy to be left here in the ground, and I don’t know a single Northerner that thinks that that’s the best solution.

My question for the Premier today is, of course, I’d like to hear the government’s position on AANDC, which is the department that is now responsible...

Mr. Speaker, everywhere I go I hear the same story: Freezing of the arsenic in the ground is the best temporary solution, but people are expecting something better at the Giant Mine site. Yes, they know that the best engineering of the day is being implemented, but they don’t want that as the long-term solution. There lies the problem, Mr. Speaker.

Some of the world’s greatest innovators of our time have always found a way by facing down insurmountable challenges with both genius and, certainly, perseverance. The Giant Mine problem, as we know it, has left a costly legacy of arsenic in the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s no secret, I recently went with the Minister to the Bakken to do some studying on hydraulic fracturing, and I’m going to table two stickers we received while we were there, and it speaks to the quality and attitude of hydraulic fracturing in North Dakota. The first sticker I’m going to table is Will!ston, Rockin’ in the Bakken; and the second one is Build Baby Build. I encourage anyone to ask me details on the way they do business there. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to send the Premier my most recent press release, and of course, I would be happy to walk over a copy of my Member’s statement. I am talking about the federal government spends $1.9 million every year to maintain this site. I am suggesting that we encourage them to package some money out of that. It wouldn’t be ongoing funding; it would be a balloon payment – think of it as that way – to encourage. If anyone could come up with a solution for the Giant Mine problem, they can come get the reward or balloon payment. Call it what you will. Quite frankly, it costs the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise with great pleasure on this particular issue. As Member Dolynny has pointed out, a few years ago I raised this issue as well. But you know what? I only sit on the shoulders of others to help try to carry the issue forward. With that, I’m going to thank Mr. Dolynny for hoping this time that we nudge it across the goal line. He’s taken on this issue with some new emotion and new fervency in the sense of zeal that I hope it carries it across that line.

I am not sure what seems to be the issue with government realizing on how important something like this motion can...

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent once again, to try to return to item 8 on the orders of the day, oral questions. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent denied

Hope and pray cannot be the policy of this program at the Department of Health, that we hope nothing has happened to the information, we pray no one does anything to the information. So the fact is we don’t know where the information is going.

Does the Minister know what’s happening in this situation and what is he doing about it, because apparently he doesn’t seem to be taking it very seriously that all this personal information is being sent out there, no one knows where it’s going, no one knows where it’s landed, no one knows who has it and they don’t certainly know what they’re doing with...