Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On February 28th this House passed a motion regarding fuel price regulation, to investigate and evaluate the possibilities of gas price regulation here in the Northwest Territories.

My question to the Premier of our Assembly here is: What has this government done to date in preparing for the 120-day response over gas price regulation for the people of the Northwest Territories?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Northerners continue to be held hostage. This is a reality and it is far too common to hear this question. Why isn’t our government standing up for our northern people? The government would tell you they are fighting and working hard on the cost of living problem. Talk is certainly cheap. I can tell, from looking around here, that it must have been on sale too.

We live in a time of ever increasing energy costs. Last week Northerners experienced rate shock at the pumps. Why? Because they could. That is why. No one holds them to account. Normally a free market being left...

Mr. Speaker, if I heard the Minister correctly, and from what I have heard on the ground, through the land advisory relationship process, the YK Dene were caught by surprise. Even the GNWT was caught by surprise. If it wasn’t for some of the screaming, well-tuned-in public, most of us probably would have been caught by surprise even worse than what has been happening now.

From the Minister’s perspective through process only, obviously, were there any gaps here? Why wasn’t there proper feedback from the feds on a relationship of the land advisory process? I believe the GNWT is party to this. I...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think even our own economic opportunities group that was doing a study on creating a robust environment for business cited concerns about the difficulty in prices around fuel in every region.

Would the Premier provide an opportunity for the public to provide some public input on their feelings on this particular issue? Will he reach out to the public as they build a government position? As the Premier knows, I have an on-line petition. Will the Premier be willing to help promote that to ensure we get public input on this issue that’s so important?

I’m not sure what carbon tax has to do with anything on this. My question for the Premier, once again, is: What work has been done to date preparing for the official response to the House on gas price regulation, which the request was to investigate and evaluate that possibility?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize and acknowledge a few people in the gallery. You can never recognize one of our favourite Yellowknife people, who is Mr. Anthony W.J. Whitford. When you read out his bio earlier, I think it alone could have been a Member’s statement for how many titles he has had, but I think you missed one where he is a marriage commissioner as well.

As well, I would like to acknowledge Ms. Lydia Bardak. She is the executive director of the John Howard Society. I would also like to acknowledge, as well as the Premier has, Melody McLeod. I have...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise, like my colleagues, to speak in favour of this particular initiative. It’s time that this government moves forward on an emergency health services type of act which outlines what we can do and what we will do for our citizens because they’re important.

In this day and age, it’s a great surprise that we do not have some time of ambulatory act that demonstrates and says that these are the types of services we offer. What we hear today is both the passion and the struggle brought forward by many Members and their communities, where they’re almost helpless, stranded...

Thank you. In the department’s due diligence to get this industry back on its feet, what is the department doing to ensure that this diamond cutting initiative gets done in a timely manner? This project, as I understand it, has been in the works almost a year and they’ve only started signing agreements now. So what is the Department of ITI doing to insist the closure of these deals to ensure we get plants up and working? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment a couple of questions regarding the joint agreement and the development of the diamond industry here. The joint agreement was between Deepak International Limited.

Recently there’s been an announcement about the resurgence of the diamond cutting industry in the Northwest Territories, and I’d like to know what the delays have been from opening these two diamond plants that he’s made a deal with to start cutting diamonds in the Northwest Territories. As I understand it, there have been significant delays. So...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Later today I will have questions for the Minister of ITI regarding diamonds.