Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, Committee Report 1-16(5), Report on On-Line Petitions was read into the record yesterday, May 19, 2010, and subsequently moved into Committee of the Whole for further discussion. Mr. Chairman, I am now prepared to make two motions as recommended by Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures in their report. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to table a letter written to me dated May 16th, 2010, by a constituent. The constituent’s name is Mr. John Murray. It’s a well-written letter regarding his concerns on perhaps the history of the supplementary health benefits changes, and I’d like to table it before the House today. I’m certainly hoping the working group will have a chance to look at it.

Mr. Speaker, I am a realistic type of person, so by no means I was trying to assume that we were going to perform organ transplants here in the Northwest Territories or run the system by ourselves. It is more about making sure that it is available and available here in the North. We have had advocates return to the North, long-term Northerners who have come here and actually met with the Minister, that I am aware of, and certainly spoken to me about how important this is. One of the things that they keep highlighting is that it seems to be elsewhere but not here. The promotion of this...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I gave praise to those who were participating in the Stem Cell Challenge there and the swab program. I certainly think that more people, as I mentioned in my Member’s statement, should consider the Living Donor Program. I would like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services what work has been done to date to bring forward a program for living donors. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I move that this committee recommends that the use of laptop computers and hand-held electronic devices continue to be administered through the sole discretion of the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly or the chair of Committee of the Whole, and if the user of any electronic device is deemed to impinge on the decorum or dignity of the House, the offending Member may be ordered to discontinue use.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I move that this committee recommends that the Members be permitted to use laptop computers and other hand-held electronic devices only during Committee of the Whole proceedings; and further, that laptop computers and other hand-held electronic communication devices are not to be used by a Member who has the floor; and further, that a Member who has the floor must have his or her laptop computer closed and/or his or her hand-held electronic device turned off.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chairman, I move that this committee recommends that the Clerk’s office undertake an evaluation of an On-line Petition Pilot Program after June 30, 2011; and further, that the evaluation be provided to the Members of the 17th Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that this committee recommends that the Legislative Assembly approve the implementation of an On-line Petition Pilot Program to allow for the presentation of petitions from on-line petitions websites associated with the Legislative Assembly website to be operational from the period of October 1, 2010, to June 30, 2011. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, quite simply, I can’t say I have known a better man. Mr. Whitford is truly an honour to know and a blessing to get to know. I’ve had the good fortune, like many Members, colleagues and friends of this House, to know Mr. Whitford and I look forward to knowing more about him as the years go on.

I’ve known him for awhile and one thing seems to be clear everywhere I go is the fact that he’s certainly a man of the people. And if not one more step I could take and say he truly is a man of the people and the people love him. Anywhere I go I see him as such a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With all due respect, those are fantastic things. I don’t mean that they aren’t, but the fact is those tend to be the end of the road decisions that people are making. The fact is they tend to be the last minute when people don’t know what to do. I guess that is sort of the whole purpose of my set of questions today here, is the fact that the awareness of these types of things seems to continue to be significantly low and how important they are cannot be magnified enough, these gifts of life that we can provide other people, whether it is blood, a kidney, a lung and...