Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to speak today on the exclusion of retroactive payments in income support programs and what I see as an oversight by these social assistance regulations. This issue is not the appeal process or the work done in the area by your dedicated civil servants, but rather a misstep in our policy.

Full confidence in the service being provided to the public requires diligence on the part of the government to see logical lapses corrected, and corrected immediately. With social assistance regulations, it states that retroactive income support payments are prohibited. A...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess there are a couple of ways I can approach this. The first option is to let him know that he got an e-mail from his constituent that I was sent to, as well, so I'm surprised he wouldn't know about the regulations, referring to that e-mail and this problem about the lack of retro pay. So that being said, maybe I can, as an olive branch approach, maybe we can take the Minister up on his offer. I'll bring the matter to his office if he's willing today to look into it further and deal with this problem. That will be all. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In April 2004, the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight held a two-day operational planning workshop to review its mandate and set its priorities and objectives for the 15th Assembly. These plans were shared with our colleagues and the public in our first Report on Priorities and Objectives, which we presented to the Legislative Assembly on June 1, 2004.

The committee held its second operational and strategic planning workshop in Tuktoyaktuk from April 15 to 17, 2005, at which time we reviewed progress made to date on our priorities and objectives. A...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe we have a real problem here and I think the ENR Minister can solve it by doing something today. My optimism tells me he’s got the leadership and wherewithal, so let’s settle it today by making a clear statement by supporting innovative programs out there. Mr. Speaker, we have real problems so we need real solutions. So where is the policy to support innovative programs for energy saving conservation investments in our Northwest Territories and in our people? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s my job to challenge the government in order to encourage them to provide the highest quality of life for our people that we represent. Today I wish to speak about the lack of innovation by this government and the lack of encouragement it is offering our local northern innovators. The Association for the Study of Peak Oil points out that we are on the verge of a massive global oil shortage which will result in the skyrocketing oil prices some day soon. But thankfully, Mr. Speaker, the sky isn’t falling today. Although imagine what that will do to a territory that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Now we’re starting to drill down to real answers and real responses. Thank you, Minister. Okay, so the fact is we’re now talking about an energy strategy. So recognizing the feds are cutting some of these energy dollars that go out to help real people and now that we’re down to the fact that we need the Energy and Natural Resources Minister to set up programs and policies, where are our policies to help these average people who are building houses who want to tap into energy smart technology? Where is the policy? Are we playing Where's Waldo here? Where is the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe we have a real problem here and I think the ENR Minister can solve it by doing something today. My optimism tells me he’s got the leadership and wherewithal, so let’s settle it today by making a clear statement by supporting innovative programs out there. Mr. Speaker, we have real problems so we need real solutions. So where is the policy to support innovative programs for energy saving conservation investments in our Northwest Territories and in our people? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s my job to challenge the government in order to encourage them to provide the highest quality of life for our people that we represent. Today I wish to speak about the lack of innovation by this government and the lack of encouragement it is offering our local northern innovators. The Association for the Study of Peak Oil points out that we are on the verge of a massive global oil shortage which will result in the skyrocketing oil prices some day soon. But thankfully, Mr. Speaker, the sky isn’t falling today. Although imagine what that will do to a territory that...

We’re still missing the results of the policy, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we’re still talking about the Energy Strategy. We’re talking about hot potatoeing it. Where is the leadership from this government that says energy policy, the policy that says we’ll do things smart, we’re setting up programs? We’re talking about a strategy, we’re throwing it away and saying go to the Arctic Energy Alliance, we’re saying we’re marrying many things, but yet at the end of the day where is the policy that says this government will set up programs to help the average Northwest Territories citizen? Thank...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think the Minister hot potatoed that right over to the Arctic Energy Alliance. Maybe I am wasting my time asking ENR questions and I should march down to Arctic Energy Alliance about their support. But, Mr. Speaker, this is about a lack of policy. This is about a lack of programs. This is about the lack of attention about who’s in the driver’s seat about this problem because if the ENR Minister isn’t willing to do anything about this, I’m going to ask him who will. So, Mr. Speaker, where is the policy to set up support programs so local folks, the...