Robert Hawkins

Thank you. My colleague, Mr. Kevin Menicoche, MLA for Nahendeh. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I can’t speak with 100 percent certainty, but I don’t recall the words in the May/June session noting somewhere in the middle that thank you for approving this money and, by the way, we’re going to be asking for more money very quickly to make this happen. Maybe that was just foolishness on our part that we did not foresee that there would be additional costs or whatnot, but again, as I’ve said before, I could be mistaken on this particular part, but I don’t recall the Minister or anyone saying that a further submission specifically related to Legal Aid would come...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I guess again thinking through, the Minister said June and I guess it is kind of perplexing. Whereas we approved money for bodies in order to put new legal aid personnel out there, then at that time, why did we not approve a particular chunk of money for the office? It seems like we did one element while not foreseeing that the other element would be required; seeing that chances are we’d have to go out and do this process. So I think -- and the Minister I have no doubt will correct me -- the Minister did mention that the original submission went out in June, he had...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess my question would still stand because I don’t think it was answered. My question was when was the government anticipating to get acquisition of this property in order to operate out of and as I said earlier when the tender closed on the 27th, I suspect we didn’t anticipate to take it that afternoon. So when did the government anticipate or work towards with an RFP to close or actually take lease control of the space? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. You know I would consider myself relatively new to this process, and find it quite unusual that we would have a special warrant issued for the closing of the RFP and whatnot. Is this a normal practice, considering even on the 27th we don’t know who is responding to this particular tender and whatnot? If I understand, the closing date is August 27th, and the FMB approval, I should say the final approval by the Commissioner -- let me say it that way -- was on the 22nd, six days before the closing. It may be possibly even the official evaluation. Is this considered a...

Thank you, Madam Chair. For my benefit, could the Minister go through significant timelines again, I stress again, the day of the issue of the RFP, the day the RFP closed, the day the RFPs were evaluated and then they decided to enter into the next step? Can I get those timeline dates, please, Madam Chair?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I say thank you to all my colleagues. Mr. Speaker, out there we have NGOs dealing with mounds of paperwork when they should be dealing with social issues they are signed onto. They should be doing program delivery, which they are supposed to do.

Mr. Speaker, long-term multiyear funding would provide stability for these organizations rather than getting them to deal with the stress that is created fighting for year-to-year funding. Mr. Speaker, this is not good for these organizations.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I will say where is the hallmark of this Assembly? Long...

Question is being called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

The Minister’s statement for the NWT Housing Corporation will be moved into Committee of the Whole, Minister’s Statement 68-15(3).

Thank you, Madam Chair. Of course, God forbid if this ever happens again to anyone, let alone any territorial facility, but just anywhere. Were there any preliminary findings as to the cause of this, other than the simple answer of snow? Was there a structural default in the roof of this building of some sort that could lead to the cause of this? Could the Minister kind of highlight some of the root cause again, other than the snow? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the document Canada and Missile Defence: 10 Straight Questions and 10 Honest Answers. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.