Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, Committee Report 2-16(5), Report on the Use of Laptop Computers and Hand-Held Electronic Devices in the Legislative Assembly, 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 introduce four motions and recommendations by the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures in their report. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I just want to say one brief thing, which is this is a significant move forward, I believe, in democracy. I believe strongly that this will provide a new dimension to bringing the voice of the people of the North to this Assembly. We will be able to reach one corner to another on a particular issue to ensure that it will be heard on the floor of this House. An example of the rest of Canada and North America should take hold of and watch as we proceed forward to see how it works. This could be a scary adventure for some, but I believe this is an...

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. My questions are for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment and they are in relation to the Growing Forward Program administered by his Department.

Would the Minister provide the following information for the previous two fiscal years as well as the current fiscal year 2010-2011:

How much funding has been made available and how much was accessed from this program?

What amounts of funding have been distributed under the Growing Forward Program and who were the recipients whether it was a business, individual or non-government organization? Could this information...

I think this is where the Minister clearly misunderstands the situation. This looks like nothing other than a sole-source. Clearly it says one supplier’s name. Anybody who wants to compete has to call the local competitor and say, well, I need to understand what these local product numbers are. Are these catalogue numbers out of your book? Because they’re certainly not out of any of the national suppliers’ books, they’re out of a very specific company’s book. They also used the spreadsheet off this specific company where they have to go to to get pricing in order to compete. To pull this back...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have three items I would like to table. The first item is a request for tendered goods issued by the Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services and it has the detail I referred to today.

The second item, which is a package of two, is the NWTAC has their 2010 Adopted Resolutions Summary. There are 12 of them. I won’t bother to read each one in today.

And, the NWTAC 2010 Reaffirmed Policy Summary, and I have all their motions here as well as a package. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I talked about a request for tender that went out to a local business. When you have a chance to read the documentation that went out for tender, there are 13 pages as the attachment of fine, detailed requests. But it’s all vague and it all points to a catalogue of a local competitor. In my Member’s statement I mentioned how I believe it’s fraught with bias and I think the only respectable thing to do today is the Minister say that she’ll withdraw this tender of goods that I’ve made aware to her and to issue a clean, clear...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures tabled Committee Report 3-16(3), Report on the Use of Laptop Computers and BlackBerry Devices, in the Legislative Assembly on February 11, 2009. This was the first report to examine a number of issues pertaining to the use of portable electronic devices by Members of the Assembly and committee staff in the performance of their duties. The report reviewed the practices in other jurisdictions as well as the purpose of portable communication devices. The report recommended that Members be allowed to use laptop computers during...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures is pleased to provide a report on On-line Petitions and commends it to the House.

A petition is a formal written request from one or more people to the sovereign, the government or to Parliament. The right of the subject to petition the Monarch for redress of personal grievances has probably been exercised since Saxon times. It was recognized in the Magna Carta. The Bill of Rights of 1688 restated that right in unambiguous terms: “...it is the right of the subjects to petition the King, and all commitments and prosecutions...

Mr. Speaker, this Premier spends a long time trying to get to the issue and the issue he says, you know, we don’t want to get into the prices or discussion about the other contractor, but that’s exactly what Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services did. That’s exactly what they’re… They’re using the measuring stick of another company to say compare your prices by their order catalogue and order fairly, Mr. Speaker.

If it’s so important to do this fairly, why is Health and Social Services chasing this company now to say will you tender? My goodness, Mr. Speaker, all I’m asking for, simply, that...