Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Presently in Ontario Superior Court a $615,000 claim is being made against this particular company. I’m worried about the Northwest Territories’ particular interest, recognizing that this is approximately one-third of the value of the two buildings which were purchased and I’d hate to see the Northwest Territories lose its position on these growing bills.

So, my question again to the Minister, if he can clarify this, or certainly help me out and help everybody out on this, what is the policy that we allow arrears? For how long and how large can we allow arrears to build...

I can somewhat appreciate the last answer, but if this company is in arrears to the Government of the Northwest Territories, answers are owed to the people of the Northwest Territories.

Can the Minister speak to what arrears are outstanding? If there are any, can he explain for how long and how much? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The name is irrelevant. The fact is people need to be helped. That’s what matters most, Mr. Speaker. How we get there, what vehicle we use, it doesn’t matter. How many on-the-land programs have been applied for and how many have been funded? The Minister was very articulate explaining how many divisions have been set up and how many people have probably been hired and how many organizations such as regions have been set out money, but I want to hear how many applications have been received and how many have been funded. Thank you.

They told me even today they had applied, and I looked towards my good colleague, Mr. Yakeleya, Member for Sahtu, who has even signed support letters for this organization to get help. Maybe the Minister can answer how many organizations have applied for community-based funding such as on-the-land programing that engages traditional knowledge and experience. Are we ignoring elders who can bring great things? How many have asked or money and how many have we supported? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve often heard that addictions can be best described as the insatiable thirst that can never be satisfied. Some folks struggling with addictions tell me it’s a lifetime struggle.

It is a long struggle. Certainly one that must always be fought, but never be fought alone, even when one’s friends and family may be frustrated watching this. Addictions isn’t an individual problem; it’s a community problem that we all need to help and we must remind ourselves that addictions is a fight worth fighting.

Let me remind this House that everyone who is affected, be it friends, be...

No, I’m good. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It’s my understanding that we are approaching the conclusion of the department. Have we reached that point yet?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m going to speak to a personal circumstance. I had a summer student one year that was overpaid by accident by the machinery of government. The fact is, it was just a small accident and it wasn’t even a lot of money, but what was interesting is the collection agency was sent immediately. They sent the leg breakers there to pursue this over what was really a very small amount of money.

I’m trying to get to the understanding of what the policy is. Is this Minister able to speak to the size and volume of the policy that could be at risk here? I’m asking the Minister of...

Setting that aside, if a company owes money, if they owe arrears to the Government of the Northwest Territories, I need to appreciate how long we sit on this lack of payments. If there are any, we don’t know. I should be fair about that, we just don’t seem to know. There was no answer on that one way or another, so it’s not clear. But how long do we sit in a process of arrears before the Government of the Northwest Territories takes action? So I’d like to know what the policy is on that, because if somebody isn’t making lease payments, then we should be asking ourselves, when do we take action...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity to ask yet another question. I’ll have a question for one of the Ministers of this particular government. With that, I’ll decide. In all honesty, I have questions for the Minister of Transportation. I happen to be looking at the statement of claim made in the Ontario Superior Court about the plaintiff against Deepak International.

We don’t talk particularly about affairs before the courts due to the sub judice matter, but what’s particularly interesting of the situation is when I asked the Minister of ITI the other day about the cutting of diamonds...