Robert Hawkins

Thank you. This motion is not about devolution itself, it’s about what to do with the resource revenue after the Devolution Agreement has been signed and resources finally start flowing to the Northwest Territories.

If we don’t start providing some guiding principles, whether we call them pillars, whether we call them ideas, if we don’t start providing these, in typical and usual fashion, our Cabinet will find new ways and define it as invest the money under the guide of government priorities all built under their own guidance. This motion helps Members guide where this revenue is going. On top...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since 2008, that was the last time we saw any significant amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act. Five years later, so many more problems come forward, and we need, once again, to take a look at this serious issue.

I’ve stood on a few occasions to talk about my concerns about affordable rent protection and even enforcement from the rentals office and implement an order that they provide. As we all know, there are no rent controls in the Northwest Territories. To be clear, I’m not in favour of supporting the idea of rent controls per se, but I have spoken at length...

Mr. Speaker, maybe just one more on the issue of helping complainants bring forward their cause or concerns. When they go to the rental tenancy office, if they are fighting a landlord, quite often, not always, the landlord is well resourced and able to hire a lawyer to fight their perspective, but the little guy or gal who is fighting their cause, for various reasons is under-resourced, and we want a fair hearing.

Would the Minister be willing to look at that type of fairness and find some way to see how we can find our way through this problem? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today, I cited concerns with the Residential Tenancies Act, so I think we could probably dispose of my question very quickly if the Minister is agreeable to a review of the act.

Specifically, I highlighted concerns about fair rental protection measures for hardworking families, a rental officer office that has very little authority or teeth to be able to enforce. The Minister needs to call forward a discussion group between landlords and advocates, to ensure that processes work better when it comes to things like evictions or compromises.

The...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in defence along the lines of Mr. Dolynny’s request. As we all know, two truths or two perspectives can lie before the House and both can be equally correct. They may not necessarily share the same view.

In order for Mr. Dolynny to discharge the duties and functions of his job, as highlighted under privilege under Beauchesne’s on page 11, this is part of the essence of getting to the facts and the details necessary for dialogue and discussion.

No documentation of this nature should be hidden from Members without confidential reasons. That alone should stand on its...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m proud that this discussion, in my view a decision, is before the House. As I said back in March of this year and as I’ve said many times over the years, home rule is finally coming home to where it belongs: to the people of the Northwest Territories. We’re in a position to chart our own destiny. We’re in the position, if not the driver’s seat, to make our own choices. And remember, sometimes when you’re in charge, you do make mistakes. So I don’t expect things to be perfect, but the exciting thing about being in charge is the people of the Northwest Territories are...

Mr. Speaker, that is certainly good news. The issue I think I didn’t hear the Minister speak to is protection for renters. Is there a chance to look at opportunities to create some type of rent protection measure?

As we all know, the act allows landlords to raise the rent once a year, only on that anniversary, but the problem with that is they could raise it to any amount. If your rent is $2,000 and they say, well, let’s raise it to $5,000, which is something legally we can’t stop them from doing, we need to put a check and safety valve on this process. That is what I’m asking for.

Would the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Thursday, June 6, 2013, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Deh Cho, that this Legislative Assembly proposes on an annual basis the GNWT’s share of the new Devolution Agreement resource revenues be expended according to the following formula:

one-quarter to infrastructure investment;

one-quarter to one-time Assembly priorities;

one-quarter to the Heritage Fund; and

one-quarter to debt repayment.

And further, that the Government of the Northwest Territories seek public input on the above proposal...

I’ll put it back to the Minister and say, I have heard four or five answers but not one to the question I asked. So, seeing how the Minister is convinced he can make changes, seeing as how the Minister is convinced he has made changes, what does the Minister believe can be made on this file by way of example, providing an opportunity for children who fall under the Income Support Program by giving them access to a pot of funding, be it as small as $500 per year to allow these children to take things like music, involved in the arts, or even get into extracurricular sports? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to continue with my questions to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Although a different department, if a child is under foster care, the foster home is provided with support for extracurricular activities. Clearly, there is a disparity when you start considering the standard of care for children. Under income support, if the family has any extra money or goes out to make extra money, it is clawed back and, finally, if somebody pays for a kid to go to hockey, if they are on it, if that family is on income support, that money is clawed back...