Robert Hawkins

Is there a clear distinction as to why we would just not bother with the chargeback at all and just get FMB to fund, for example, Public Works an additional $20 million and avoid the additional, sort of, paperwork and the flow to each individual department and the accountability on that sense?

Because in some respects, I heard the Minister’s point. I realize it, which is it’s just a direct flow-through of payment schedule when it comes to, say, the power bill or the fuel bill. But in this one, what about maintenance? The department, say, maintains, I’ll say a school. That might not be the best...

Is there a chargeback in any way to the individual departments?

Mr. Speaker, I would appreciate if the Minister would stop saying they go to my committee. It’s the Assembly’s committee, first of all. Second of all, I think this is an issue that the Minister should be concerned about, not just some of the committee members.

What can the Minister do under the context of monitoring in the sense of do we have a definition of what a Northerner is? We don’t know if these people have health care cards, whether they have a post office box or even if they file their taxes here in the Northwest Territories, so we must have some rules to govern this by rather than...

I think my last question, assuming it’s a favourable answer obviously, is, can I get a copy of this detail?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Under asset management we have done some consolidating on the payment of the energy bills in coordination, and at one time the philosophy used to be that departments should be farmed out and be responsible for their own things like, for example, their power bill or their fuel bill and they best would know how to manage these things and coordinate these things. Since the last couple of years, Public Works and Services has taken this back. I’m curious as to how the monitoring and management of this program now has been working out. Has there been cost savings? Better...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today, I was raising the issue of some of these ghost Northerners, or sometimes even commonly called paper Northerners, who get these northern jobs, and as soon as they get them, they move south, but the mining industry will put them on their socio-economic agreements and tick them off in the “have you hired or do you have a Northerner working for you” and they tick off yes.

The issue is, simply, this: How do the mines account and, furthermore, validate that these are a true northern workforce, and how do they officially report this to the GNWT...

How does the department determine the markup rate for local vendors to supply that? What is it based on? Is it based on a percentage of usage? Is it a flat rate? Could they explain it and perhaps provide some ranges? I don’t know if it’s proprietary information or if it’s negotiated. Maybe he could answer and explain how they get to these rates and where is it publicly disclosed.

Would it not be in our interests to flex our muscles in that regard? Because if we’re paying the general contractor their money and they’re withholding payment to the subcontractors, who could be northern contractors, would it not be in our interest to suggest that we put that type of downward pressure by good policy to demonstrate our northern subcontractors are just as much of value as whoever the general contractor is?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Before I begin, I too wish to acknowledge our fantastic students that are here in the gallery today. I was very impressed with their flash mob as well. It was clearly a statement that this generation is standing up to bullying and they’re certainly saying, in their own way, bully no more. I want to thank them for that.

I’d like to follow up on some concerns I expressed last week about the northern workforce at our mines. The Government of the Northwest Territories has negotiated and signed a total of five socio-economic agreements with industry over the last 17 years and...

Well, I would like to ask a question and I’d hate to think we’re stifling public debate and democracy here, and shame on those who groan if we ask some questions. The petroleum products division, would they be able to talk about what resources they have here, what resources they use in human capital and certainly in the context of financial resources they spread out and to what communities? As of recently, I’ve clearly been raising the issue of gas regulation and I’ve likened it to some of the work we do under petroleum products division already. So I’m curious on the human capital we have...