Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A culture of entitlement is afoot and you can smell it a mile away. You only need to look so far as page 2 in Monday’s newspaper or even page 6 of today’s paper. What you’ll see is a monopoly saying competition is bad. Better yet, let’s make one company, they say, and eliminate all the competition by absorbing them.

Is anyone really fooled by this? I know the public isn’t fooled by this and they want to know who is defending the public’s interest. Because I know, they know, a lobbyist will defend the corporate interest.

Yes, I said a lobbyist, Mr. Speaker. It’s true...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to item 8 on the orders of the day called oral questions.

---Unanimous consent denied

That’s okay, Mr. Speaker. I think I have already sort of stated my issue for the record. I will go to the next question with no problem. Thanks for your guidance, Mr. Speaker.

Is there any reason that ATCO, the billion dollar company we talked about earlier today, could not bid on the upcoming Hay River franchise agreement? Thank you.

When was the last time the Northwest Territories Power Corporation put a competitive bid in the Town of Hay River for the Hay River franchise? What would be helpful here to understand is how long each franchise agreement is put into place. It is my understanding that it has been years since the last one that the Northwest Territories actually fully competed in, because, as I understand it, they fully withdrew from the last process they may have been considering to be involved in.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too, like others, would like to first acknowledge the Braden family and thank him for his individual contribution to the Legislature in its day and certainly to the path that all of us have enjoyed. He’s helped us along the way through his wisdom and guidance in his early years as our first Government Leader or, as we refer to them now, as Premier.

I wish we had more time today, but I’d like to recognize just a couple of the Education Hall of Fame winners here today. Dean MacInnis is a constituent of Yellowknife Centre and it’s quite fitting that he’s received the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, once again, seek unanimous consent to return to item 8, oral questions, on the orders of the day.

---Unanimous consent denied

Mr. Speaker, the students have been saying this for years. The instructors at the college have been saying this for years. What will it take from the Minister to finally break through and realize how important this particular option and opportunity is? I’m willing to go get a survey. Does he want 100 names on a petition? Does he want 1,000 names? You tell us what we’ll do and we’ll help him do his job. That’s all I want. Frankly, what does the Minister need from us to help him realize how important this degree program is and we’ll go out and do it. Maybe he can tell us what will make the...

I would kind of like to hear how the Minister wants to create this type of change. He said there was a legislative issue there. The Northwest Territories, through Aurora College, found a way with the teachers, found a way through our nursing program. Why can we find a way through this path?

I’m asking the Minister: What is he willing to do and what can he do to help ensure that the students in the Northwest Territories who want a Social Work Program, a full program, can obtain this opportunity here in the North where they want, in their home, in the North, where they want to do their work in...

Mr. Speaker, March is Aboriginal Languages Month, and as such, I want to show a little respect. [English translation not provided.]

[Translation] The social service workers need more money. [Translation ends]

The budding Social Work Program in the Northwest Territories has been showing great promise, and as such, our two-year program is starting to ask itself, why are we not a four-year program?

In my opinion, the Aurora College program has been doing fantastic work here. It has reached an incredible success, so successful the students want more, the community wants more.

When I talk to the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am going to rise with some objection to the motion that comes forward because I have some concerns on how the development of the rules and the procedures of the Legislative Assembly have emerged.

By and large, 99.9 percent, I support the initiative that has come forward, but I do have an issue with how the section called Point of Order has been evolved and finally found its, I guess I’ll say, end wording.

It’s my view that under Section 25, and I won’t go through the full detail, but it says when a Member is to raise a point of order they shall cite. My view is they...