Robert Hawkins

I’m just trying to understand why we have a departmental head on the board and what relationship it has with the department other than being a funding source. If the government sat on every board we were a funding source for, we would be on the Centre for Northern Families, we’d be on the John Howard Society, we’d be on all these boards. I’m just trying to understand the role. Maybe if the Minister could provide a better description as to why MACA… I think this is a fair question probably for every department, it’s just one that has popped up as the obvious for this department, is what role...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Under general lottery licence there seems to be a bit of a fluctuation. Can the Minister provide an answer as to why?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Under community government, although I don’t need to go back to 13 because it’s just the page here, but it is the break-out of that particular page. Under community government, can the Minister explain how community government at $168,000 is broken out and proscribed?(sic) Thank you.

In order to ask for the $299 million, the Government of the Northwest Territories must have a plan. Knowing that no project has been under budget, or even at budget, what is the territorial government’s plan to assess if there are overruns? That’s not a hypothetical. We need a plan in order to proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’m glad Ms. Bisaro brought this up. I, too, am a champion of enabling our communities on the hotel levy. I’m just trying to get a sense. I thought the NWTAC actually supported this and, if so, what was Municipal and Community Affairs’ position on NWTAC having a position saying they wanted this?

How does the Arctic Energy Alliance move… Well, let me ask it this way. Does MACA, as a department, propose any policy initiatives that are taken up or dealt with at the Arctic Energy Alliance board?

Thank you, Madam Chair. It comes as no surprise, I’m sure, to the Minister that I’d like to raise the consumer affairs issue. I think this is an area that seems to be underexplored by this government and whether it’s the lending agencies of the small little loan companies out there, payday loans as they’re often referred to, which I’ve had concern with in the…or even to the gas prices or the cell phone issue that I raised the week before. I’d like to hear from the Minister on how they plan to work with this area, perhaps maybe even bolster it and support it in a manner that it gets out into...

Mr. Chair, I appreciate that answer, but one of the problems with that is we don’t have a direct policy for a mandate under a department. How do we get a policy statement by a department where it falls under an activity description that supports seniors and active living? We have one under MACA that truly represents and bolsters the needs that fall under youth and certainly what support the youth need. How do we get one in the Municipal and Community Affairs that supports seniors with dollars? Thank you.

Under emergency management, I’m curious as to how many communities in the Northwest Territories have emergency response plans and does the territorial government fund them at the community level and support the development of them.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, now that we’ve narrowed down that the Department of Transportation is Bob the Builder on this particular reference, what innovative construction techniques have been found by the Department of Transportation to ensure that this highway will be built and maintain a decent standard? I liken it to Highway No. 3 as we’ve all seen fall apart over the years after and even during its building.