Shane Thompson

Thank you and I thank the Minister. I'm getting a clearer picture now and I appreciate that. So what we're saying, though, so if we just clarify: MTS is going to be with the government for the next 10 years to pay off this cost. Is this correct in my understanding of this? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for the answer. So please bear with me so I clearly understand. We are going to be paying the covering costs and then over 10 years the revolving fund is going to put it in there. Why aren't we putting these double hull barges' costs into the revolving fund now? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I regret we're here today. In the whole beginning of the process I went and talked to each Minister and explained where I was going and how I was going there, and I'm going to vote the same way I voted with my X on there. My concern through this whole process is I believe in consensus government. I believe we need to be working together as a collective, and, unfortunately, we're here today and I don't see consensus working as well as we should be.

I have been very fortunate to have been raised up in the Northwest Territories and I've watched consensus...

Thanks to the Minister for his answer. While reading on this topic, I noticed there are a number of roadside screening devices out there. I am wondering: has the federal government informed us which device they will be using, and have we made necessary arrangements to order these?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am talking about the medical cannabis, not the homegrown stuff that may or may not be out there. Mr. Speaker, has the department looked at the thought of developing a homegrown organization to grow cannabis in the Northwest Territories? We have some of the best soil in the country and availability. We can get the seeds from somewhere else. Has the Minister looked at this as an option for people in there? I know in my riding we have some great land that we can use. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Laughter

I thank the Minister for his answer. Two communities out of 27, I don't think that is a good representation. Will the Minister look at talking to these small communities? Even though maybe they are not going to go and consult with them, maybe they can write a letter to these smaller communities and ask them to get some feedback in there. We are talking about some of the very small, small communities, and this will have a huge impact on them.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize a number of constituents from my riding, Aggie Hardisty from Jean Marie, Catherine Belle-Sanguez from Jean Marie/Trout River Fort Simpson, as well as April Bell, who is now a corporal. Congratulations on your promotion. As well, Dang-Dang Gruben who is one of my youth ambassadors I used to work with. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the Minister for that answer. It looks like we are trying to do some good stuff and I applaud the department for that. Is the government looking at maybe working with Aurora College, looking at developing something in this area for the strategy?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today in my first set of questions the Minister of Health and Social Services talked about dental therapists and hygienists. I guess that leads me to this second set of questions I have today. In the height of dealing with dental therapy in that we used to have positions in there, can the Minister tell us how many dental therapy positions were in NWT at the height of it? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I again thank the Minister for his answer. I guess my concern is small communities that do not have staffing there, and that is something that we need to look into. Mr. Speaker, having a database upon which ministry program outcomes could be monitored would give us a better idea of what kind of programs are working for our residents. Does the Department of Health and Social Services currently have one in place? If it does not, does the department intend to look into implementing one?