Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the information that the Justice Minister offered. He was quite right that you do not have to be a judge to do this. But, on the short term, we are still suffering under the circumstances of only having this once a year. He is right; I would hate to see July 1st lost as a very important day for new Canadians. Perhaps, would the Minister commit today on the fact that we should contact our territorial counterparts and maybe look at creating a citizen court circuit for the whole North, including the Yukon and Nunavut? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I would like to report progress.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. But we have to consider most loans are paid over 20, 25 or 30 years. This has to be paid back within four years; almost $300 million. Mr. Speaker, this government can never be taken responsibly, until we show that we can deal with overpayments like this in a responsible manner. So we need to be seen as a responsible government, cleaning up the last government's mess. Would the Minister have his officials at least conduct an inter-jurisdictional review of best practices of how federal overpayments are done, and received and taken care of in their provinces? Thank...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If I may just say I'd like to thank the students for coming today so they can see oral question period, see history being made, and they're part of it today by being in the gallery.

Mr. Speaker, hoping for the best isn't good or sound fiscal policy. I spoke earlier, in my Member's statement, about the $296 million in corporate tax overpayment that we received from the Government of Canada. We can no longer dodge this, or keep pushing it away, or even ignoring it. So my question to the Minister of Finance is, will the Minister have his officials look into fiscal...

I'd like to move that committee report progress. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think we continue to avoid the fact that we're spending money that doesn't belong to us, and we've negotiated it into an interest-free loan, by avoiding it and putting it as a burden on the next government. So my awe-inspiring question to the Minister of Finance, whom I have a lot of respect for, is, what, then, will the Minister do to ensure that this government will conduct its finances with integrity and true responsibility, and we don't leave the next government and the next Assembly with any type of burden from our willy-nillyness on dealing with...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To put it in perspective, almost $300 million is approximately 30 percent of this government's budget. By redrafting a fiscal management policy, still doesn't speak to the fact that we're spending money that does not belong to this government. So, Mr. Speaker, if the Minister will not commit to a fiscal policy that stipulates that overpayments be set aside and returned promptly, will the Minister consider a fiscal policy which stipulates that if any overpayment is to be treated as an interest-free loan, as he just pointed out, that money must be specifically voted on...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today my Member’s statement is about fiscal responsibility and how it relates to the repayment of corporate income tax overpayment.

As all Members of this House know, we are well aware of how this Assembly has the unfortunate task or, I should say, the burden ahead of us in the next year to repay the federal government close to $300 million for its corporate overpayment tax that dates back to 2002.

This can no longer be pushed back or ignored by this government. When the last government realized -- that is the 14th Assembly -- over four years ago that it received an...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we all know that the Premier’s favourite subjects are devolution, hydro and, definitely, pipeline. So my questions that I’d like to ask today to the Premier are what actions this government will be taking, if any, to prevent Imperial Oil from backing out or postponing the Mackenzie Valley pipeline project. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Committee would like to consider Bill 9 and Bill 3, in that order today. Thank you.