Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Dan McTeague in today’s Yellowknifer says basically the price of fuel in Yellowknife should be around $1.16. He highlights about a 22 cent difference that who knows where that money is really going. He emphasizes about a two cent difference that should exist between Yellowknife and Hay River, not 17 cents as of today or 26 cents as of yesterday.

So my question is for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, but rightly so, as the Minister who is responsible for consumer protection. So my question quite clearly is this: Would the Minister be willing to take the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Prices at the pumps, Mr. Speaker. Who is protecting the public’s interests? The government can no longer stand idly by on this particular issue, so let me finally say, government, welcome to the file.

While prices continue to ratchet up, they move down like molasses in the winter, and as we all know, most of them tend to be frozen like our winter. The cost of living is a burden on everyday Northerners. It’s well beyond the tipping point, as we’re all well aware. So where is the McLeod government when it comes to monitoring and protecting the public’s interest on this...

Although I realize there’s House protection, I still will take great skill in pointing this out not to draw unfair attention, but under the context of price fixing and anti-corruptive activities they certainly are illegal under the federal Competition Act. That is a reality. The way you read the paper is one is waiting for the other. It doesn’t sound like they’re colluding in the same way or whispering what are you going to set this week, but it does seem to point out the fact that there is some weirdness how they’re working together and one’s not doing anything without the other.

Back to the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. PEI does this. New Brunswick does this. Why does the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs need a push or a shove from a motion or Member’s statement to do the right thing? Mr. Speaker, why doesn’t Municipal and Community Affairs do the right thing on their own? They know what the problem is; they could do it, so why don’t they?

Thank you. What the Minister basically said is the public has to go and complain and complain, but the problem is quite obvious. Members can speak quite loudly and clearly.

What is stopping this Minister from taking some action to show the consumer that they actually care about the fact that they work hard for those paycheques? Because right now what I’m hearing is let’s do nothing until they really complain and we have to. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the gallery, I would like to recognize Ms. Lydia Bardak. She is always a stalwart attender here at the Assembly, so I want to thank her for her interest; as well as Mr. Krutko, a good friend and former colleague; and finally, last but not least, I would like to recognize the great Anthony W.J. Whitford, a constituent of Weledeh but a constituent who belongs to everyone. Thank you, sir.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to table a page from the Yellowknifer, Friday, February 1, 2013. The article is quoted, “MLA Alleges Misspending for Travel.”

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will be quick. I do want to return to the fuel question and build upon what Mr. Bromley had said. I want to stress, earlier I did appreciate the answer by the MACA Minister and I think credit is deserved where credit is due. He did agree to do this. He’s now listening closer to my question because I gave him credit.

The issue is, yes, in regulation those considerations take time, but one of the problems is today. Does the Minister have powers within his scope as Minister, who does do consumer protection, to be able to look at this situation? Because if you read the...

I can’t disagree with the Minister when he says it’s more than just about the basic numbers. I would like to know what positive effects, other than just banning caribou hunting, the department has proposed. What I mean by that is, has the Minister, or working with the boards or co-management partners, have they proposed anything such as hunting more wolves, any type of activities that will help increase the population? To be frank, waiting for the caribou to repopulate themselves to their old numbers may take a generation of our lifetime, not the caribou’s lifetime.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m going to echo Mr. Yakeleya’s comments. I’ve never seen the two, Mr. Krutko and Ms. Lee, look happier together in my years. That said, I would like the occasion, as well as Premier McLeod, to recognize all our Pages. Specifically I would like to highlight Ally MacInnis. She’s a Page from Yellowknife Centre, and I want to thank her as well as all the Pages for their fine duties. They support us in our work and it’s a very valuable service that we treasure here.

As well as Mr. Bromley, I too wish to recognize Ben McDonald, who is a constituent of Yellowknife Centre. I...