Robert Hawkins

I appreciate that. Would the Minister commit to making sure my office is informed? I don’t sit on the Social Programs Committee, but would he commit to keeping me informed of all steps and developments of this, whether it’s in regard to consultation with committee, the general public or other jurisdictions? Any information he can make available to me I’d appreciate.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Although I had asked this question, I would just like ultimate certainty.

I have a constituent who uses the services at the dialysis unit, and it's my understanding that that position has been left vacant or unfilled or other — and I’ll leave “other” pretty vague — and I just want to make sure it is fully staffed at this time. What is the exact staff of that whole unit again, just to make sure it’s on record?

Those are excellent words. I’m really appreciative of the fact that this Minister is willing to lead this initiative, although it has had some bumps and grinds on the way. The fact is that it’s an important element of protection. When can we expect something like this to happen?

Mr. Chairman, I didn’t get an answer as to whether we have lost any to this program, where we’ve trained them and they didn’t want to go to the communities. How many have we lost because they decided to seek employment outside of the Northwest Territories, because quite obviously their first choice was not a small community so they’ve packed up and left? I’m trying to get a sense of how many we’ve lost and what that’s cost us in government money that’s been invested for that. I just want to make sure our investment is going in the right direction, which is filling nurse practitioner positions...

I heard that very clearly this time around. Does the Minister have any suggestions as to how we’re going to get public feedback on this issue? I’m glad to hear the Ministry is….

Interruption.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions will be directed to the Minister of Transportation today.

In my Member’s statement I talked about good public discussion on issues such as using cellphones while driving and, of course, smoking in cars with children. As a package issue would the Minister be willing to get out there and see what Northerners want and what they’re willing to have as new, or potentially new, road-safety rules?

Will there be detail in this budget that demonstrates where I can look and see what value is placed on a potential program? For example, if a senior — I have a few of them in the riding — wanted to access aging in place money for a walk-in bathtub, those types of things…. Those are the types of things I’m talking about when I say aging in place. Is there something here that a senior could tap into if they wanted a ramp into their house? They are finding the stairs just a little difficult to challenge as they move on in years, but they have many good years left in their own home. That’s the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to talk about a couple of transportation issues that have been on the horizon of that industry.

Across Canada there have been a number of concerns emerging that are under public discussion, which are all about cellphones and smoking while driving in vehicles with children present. The issue really is about the public debate and the fact that there needs to be a public debate on these types of issues for transportation here in the North.

I’ve had a number of constituents come forward through e-mail to talk to me about what our government is doing on these issues...

I thank the Minister for that. I’ll certainly be more than willing to accept that copy and review the detail further myself.

I find that one of the challenges is…. As an example, I have a constituent who goes to the Yellowknife Housing Authority, and they just don’t have any — not necessarily barrier-free — disabled units; they just don’t have anything available. I don’t think what they’re looking for is the all-inclusive barrier-free unit where every door is fixed, whether the fixtures are changed, whether the ramp is there or not. They’re looking for accessible living, and we just don’t have...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think that was well said, and I don’t think the motion could have been written any better. There’s only one aspect that I’d like to highlight, which is housing for the disabled. It’s a concern and a passion of mine to make sure that we have appropriate housing for those in need. Although this motion doesn’t speak to it specifically, we know that this funding goes to help people in that area.

It’s a principle I really believe in, Mr. Speaker. In the past I’ve had the chance to work with Mr. Krutko, when he was Housing Minister, to help bring better living, a better...