Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the mover of the motion, Mr. Yakeleya, the Member for Sahtu, for a very good motion. The idea of a mobile alcohol and drug treatment initiative is certainly innovative, and I would say welcome, from my point of view.

I’ve been around here awhile, almost eight years in total, and this is one of the first interesting and, I would say, hopefully ground-breaking initiatives that could probably make a lot of sense when tackling the alcohol and drug treatment problem. I certainly say problem as in lack thereof.

We can talk about education all we want. I think...

Who will be doing this particular work and initiative in order to review the program being offered in the midwifery services that were being run here in Yellowknife?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Continuing along the same vein as my other colleagues with concerns of the cancellation of the Midwifery Program here in Yellowknife. My question to the Minister of Health and Social Services is built around the fact that why couldn’t we continue the program and do the review and how much the review will cost and why didn’t he talk to Members. To get it out right on the record: how much will this review actually cost to review the actual Midwifery Program that was being done here in Yellowknife?

I appreciate the answer from the Minister. I’ve approached different people in industries and I’ve talked to some people in the film industry. They thought it was an interesting concept. I’ve talked to people in the agriculture industry and they thought it was kind of nice. They’re certainly looking forward to what the government can do, if they can do anything, on the context of this concept. The product I brought to the Minister and that I tabled before the House yesterday was not to be a finished product. It was about trying to spark the genesis of new ideas that are rightly suited with the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A number of years ago I approached ITI with the idea of a made-in-the-NWT branding program. This idea was to support our local manufacturing businesses across the North to assist them as they market their products. Voluntary, of course, but what this does is help the consumers understand the choices before them. For example, a consumer could buy windows made in the NWT, which of course incidentally are produced in Hay River, or they could buy those other brands that are not produced in the North. The importance of this program is, as when I suggested it was, the fact...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A particular issue I’ve been raising for a number of years, as well as my colleague Ms. Bisaro, is the distracted driving legislation, and it is of significant concern to a number of other MLAs in this House.

Mr. Speaker, recently at one of my constituency meetings people were wondering if the government will be moving forward on this type of initiative, especially recognizing the amount of time left in this particular Assembly and knowing full well that if legislation isn’t introduced in this sitting it won’t be considered under this government, under the 16th Assembly...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I talked about opportunities that ITI I’m hoping will consider. I’ve proposed to them a program called in-the-NWT. In my Member’s statement I talked about the success the Made-in-the-NWT Program has developed into and many northern businesses have expressed to me with great pride that they’re able to access that, promote their products from a made-in-the-NWT point of view. I thought, after considering that, that that was really the genesis of what could be in the NWT and it could be applied to many industries. So I had a graphic artist...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is an incredible need for intense alcohol and drug treatment programs to be based here in Yellowknife. Alcohol and drug abuse, as we’ve all seen, continues to have a profound impact on this city and the North in every single community. This problem, as we all know, is longstanding, but right now, wherever I look, people are united in wanting to take support and action on this particular issue. We have seen what easily could be defined as a rare and united consensus on taking action on this particular issue.

It is not often that a very respected Supreme Court...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have two items I’d like to table today. The first is a mock-up for a tourism initiative program that I’d like to talk about tomorrow, so I’d like to officially table the item today so that I can refer to it.

The second item I’d like to table today is the poster for the 2011 Celebrity Auction: Mad Hatter Spring Gala, which will be held on Friday, June 3, 2011, at the Ed Jeske Arena.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t have to explain to the Minister how paralyzing drug and alcohol problems are to people of the North, but the reality here is this government could make that commitment today and not hope that the new Assembly will take care of what rightly is the responsibility of the legislators of today, which is to deal with this particular problem.

The last thing I’ll say, Mr. Speaker, is forcing people to Stanton is not the appropriate place. Forcing people to jails is not the appropriate place. That’s why I’m here today asking the Minister if he will commit. If this report...