Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's a great pleasure supporting a motion like this. I think it's in -- I think it's key to some of the mandate many of us has been running on, and I would certainly say, you know, I feel like saying hi, my name is Robert, I'm a healthcare supporter. It's been 560 days since my last election, and I've been fighting for better health care. It's 859 days until my next election, and I'll still be fighting for healthcare improvements, Mr. Speaker. You know, it's just this ongoing fight but, you know what, I promise to be relentless to the end. Actually, that's one of my...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to follow up on the questions raised by my good colleague from Range Lake, same subject, same Minister, Mr. Speaker.

I've been around politics a long time. I'm not going to say I'm the oldest in the sense of this process. Many people have excellent experience around politics in this room and including the territory. But one thing I've noticed about leadership is about how you define yourself. And sometimes I see people make declarations and that causes other people to stand up and see how they can respond to it. So in other words, I'm getting at is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker,

WHEREAS Section 48.(2) of the Human Rights Act provides for the establishment of an adjudication panel composed of at least three persons appointed by the Commissioner on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly;.

AND WHEREAS Section 49.(1) of the NWT Human Rights Act provides that a member of the adjudication panel holds office during good behaviour for a period of four years and may be reappointed for subsequent terms;.

AND WHEREAS the board of management is tasked with recommending individuals to the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Assembly...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to follow up on my oral questions to the Minister of Justice I had asked last Thursday, and it was with respect to sharing information about a Trespass Act, and he had said that there was a pile of work being -- pile is my word, but pile of work that's already been done on this particular initiative, and I had asked him specifically would they share that information so I could move forward on my own Trespass Act seeing that the government isn't moving forward swift enough in response to the particular problem.

So the question specifically is, again...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, I will move the following motion:

Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Kam Lake, that Jessi Casebeer of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, be recommended to the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories for appointment as a member of the Human Rights Adjudication Panel, effective June 1, 2025, for a term of four years.

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time, I will seek unanimous consent to deal with this motion today. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, is the Minister able to provide any detail to the first question asked, which was can she provide some specifics around the costing and timing. And I'll be very clear, Mr. Speaker - referring to what is the anticipated project cost and when would we expect something to actually prove to fruition in the sense of come online. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, is this initiative still really on the table, or is it just -- we'll call it a paper exercise? So in other words, what indication is the Minister getting that this is going to be eventually approved? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to talk about the upcoming territorial election. It may only be two years away, Mr. Speaker, but more importantly is you can never start thinking ahead too soon.

Mr. Speaker, with only a few days in this sitting left, we have to work as hard as we can to squeeze the issues in. One particular topic I want to highlight today is preferential balloting, Mr. Speaker. Interestingly enough, you know, I would love to ask the Speaker questions on this but, of course, our rules of our House don't allow this. I would grill you, of course, in...

Mr. Speaker, is the Minister supportive of the program to get the nominees and what's wrong with getting 50 refugees? It will help solve our economic crisis here we're having in the Northwest Territories, in all our communities, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, would the Minister write the federal Minister responsible for this file and take the 50 refugees so we can get the 150 nominees?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to follow up with a further question with the Minister of ECE.

So we've been told by elected officials outside of this House that the Minister has been offered 150 nominees if the GNWT demonstrates their utilization rates for asylum seekers, Mr. Speaker, through the program. Basically, take 150 refugees and get 150 -- and just to be clear, take 50 refugees and get 150 nominees. Can the Minister confirm this? Thank you.