Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. PEI does this. New Brunswick does this. Why does the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs need a push or a shove from a motion or Member’s statement to do the right thing? Mr. Speaker, why doesn’t Municipal and Community Affairs do the right thing on their own? They know what the problem is; they could do it, so why don’t they?

Thank you. What the Minister basically said is the public has to go and complain and complain, but the problem is quite obvious. Members can speak quite loudly and clearly.

What is stopping this Minister from taking some action to show the consumer that they actually care about the fact that they work hard for those paycheques? Because right now what I’m hearing is let’s do nothing until they really complain and we have to. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the gallery, I would like to recognize Ms. Lydia Bardak. She is always a stalwart attender here at the Assembly, so I want to thank her for her interest; as well as Mr. Krutko, a good friend and former colleague; and finally, last but not least, I would like to recognize the great Anthony W.J. Whitford, a constituent of Weledeh but a constituent who belongs to everyone. Thank you, sir.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to table a page from the Yellowknifer, Friday, February 1, 2013. The article is quoted, “MLA Alleges Misspending for Travel.”

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will be quick. I do want to return to the fuel question and build upon what Mr. Bromley had said. I want to stress, earlier I did appreciate the answer by the MACA Minister and I think credit is deserved where credit is due. He did agree to do this. He’s now listening closer to my question because I gave him credit.

The issue is, yes, in regulation those considerations take time, but one of the problems is today. Does the Minister have powers within his scope as Minister, who does do consumer protection, to be able to look at this situation? Because if you read the...

Thank you. I’m going to acknowledge and thank the Minister for that openness to take a look at it, but I will disagree with him in the sense of the process and problem. New Brunswick, PEI, as well as several other places do this. So hence there is a model that exists. The question is: What does he actually mean he’ll do when he says they’ll take a look at this? Of course, he also has said he’s well aware of this problem highlighted in the newspaper. So the fact is we’re being disadvantaged, if not taken advantage of, by retailers. There is a public role in this, Mr. Speaker, and I expect the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Dan McTeague in today’s Yellowknifer says basically the price of fuel in Yellowknife should be around $1.16. He highlights about a 22 cent difference that who knows where that money is really going. He emphasizes about a two cent difference that should exist between Yellowknife and Hay River, not 17 cents as of today or 26 cents as of yesterday.

So my question is for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, but rightly so, as the Minister who is responsible for consumer protection. So my question quite clearly is this: Would the Minister be willing to take the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Prices at the pumps, Mr. Speaker. Who is protecting the public’s interests? The government can no longer stand idly by on this particular issue, so let me finally say, government, welcome to the file.

While prices continue to ratchet up, they move down like molasses in the winter, and as we all know, most of them tend to be frozen like our winter. The cost of living is a burden on everyday Northerners. It’s well beyond the tipping point, as we’re all well aware. So where is the McLeod government when it comes to monitoring and protecting the public’s interest on this...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that this committee recommends that the Members be permitted to use tablet computers during all proceedings in the Chamber with the exception of the following times: during prayer, at any time when the Commissioner is present in the Chamber, during the Speaker’s opening and closing remarks and rulings, during votes, and at any other time designated pursuant to instructions of the Speaker;

Further, that the use of tablet computers be subject to the existing convention that any electronic device used in the Chamber must be on silent mode at all times. Thank you...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just before I read the final motion, I once again want to thank the committee members for their efforts on this study, as well as I want to thank the Minister, Minister David Ramsay, and all the department who have helped facilitate this, including committee staff who helped facilitate a very good policy tour which I think will be helpful for years to come.

Madam Chair, that said, I move…

---Interjection