Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Thursday, June 4, 2015, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Weledeh, that this Legislative Assembly recommends to the Commissioner that a plebiscite be held in the Northwest Territories on Monday, November 23, 2015, with the following question: “Should hydraulic fracturing be permitted in the Northwest Territories??

Mr. Speaker, telling them to go to the gatehouse, leave their kids, whatever the case may be, is about the worst answer, well, I shouldn’t say it’s the worst. It’s the second worst answer. Nothing would have been the worst answer, obviously.

Do we have park officers out there doing their job to make sure the people we’re trying to encourage to enjoy park time with their families, do we have them on staff? Do we have them on duty? What a great opportunity to hire more summer students because, frankly, we have no one doing the job if they’re not out there. So, do we have park officers working in...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the Minister of ITI and, believe it or not it’s actually not on hydraulic fracturing because, well, I think the answers themselves are self-explanatory, but it actually is more on another area of his portfolio, which is about parks and camping and whatnot.

I’ve been contacted by people who have actually visited the Fred Henne Park and they’ve complained about the fact that a lack of enforcement is present in the park. So when we’re trying to encourage tourism, when we’re trying to encourage people to spend good quality time with their families, but...

Thank you, Madam Chair, for recognizing me. I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this.

Just because they didn’t follow the normal process doesn’t make it any less important, and I think that’s an important fact. It doesn’t make it any less important or any less necessary. I think the Premier spoke about some of the issue. He didn’t say any of my issues. I have problems with communications, and I will give them to his list so he can add them.

I personally think communications needs to be better coordinated. It’s my opinion that we should have a communications secretariat in some way that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m sorry, but the Minister talked about years of doing the job, but I remember him and Minister Abernethy driving around in a brown truck saying that the firewood was empty and they called somebody. I’m not sure how tough those guys really worked. If it was a blue truck – I’m colour blind, my wife says – it doesn’t matter. The fact is I want the Minister to guarantee today in this House, if he has got a little political courage on this one, he’ll guarantee that we’ll have park officers patrolling those parks in the evening and certainly making sure that contact...

All great answers, but not to the question I asked. Let’s focus in on who is working the grounds in the park. Who can they contact?

We have families going out there spending darn good money and we’re trying to encourage them to get out there and enjoy these treasures that we proclaim are important to us. But when people are rowdy next door – I’ve got an e-mail that’s after 1:30 – they have a full load of kids that are ages five and six years old, we have families trying to deal with these partiers next door and risking their own personal safety, but no one to call and no patrols.

So let’s find...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Before we begin I’m going to say it has become crystal clear in the work that we do here that hydraulic fracturing certainly has become the most important ideological question of our time. True leadership is the willingness to put the question sometimes to the people, rather than trying to say, “Here I’m a leader and I make all the decisions in isolation.”

Knowing that, the government is still trying to understand and balance its role as land and resources regulator. We’re starting to see the ITI Minister take on some of these responsibilities for regulating oil and gas...

I’d like to ask the Minister of Housing why they’re not investing into more housing for seniors in Yellowknife. In my Member’s statement I pointed out that in the age category between 65 and 74 we’re going to see almost a 400 percent increase in growth, and further, at the age category of 75-plus we’re seeing over 400 percent growth in the next 11 years in seniors. So, clearly, seniors need housing. They need housing options, and these housing options will keep them out of poverty. Avens is an able and certainly a willing partner.

Would the Minister be willing to find some money to help invest...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are so many people out there to recognize, I just want to say welcome to the majority of them, and I’ll focus my specific recognition to our seniors. For seniors from the Yellowknife Centre riding, I would first like to recognize Ms. Margaret Marshall, Mr. Bill Reid and Mr. Bill Adkins as well as I believe I see Ms. Wendy Carlos up there as well. If I happened to miss any of the seniors who are up there, I’m sure they can understand. I can’t quite see that far anymore. My eyes are starting to give up on me as the days go on. Welcome to everyone and thank you very...

I’m going to ask the Minister this question. I’m not sure it’s the best question, per se, in the sense of it’s under his portfolio or his purview, but he’s certainly a wordsmith.

Is arbitration the same as expropriation in his position or his capacity? Could he best describe it for the House?