Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Your hardworking Standing Committee on Government Operations met on May 9, 2011, to review Bill 6, Forgiveness of Debts Act, 2010-2011. Following a clause-by-clause review, a motion was carried to report Bill 6 to the Assembly as ready for Committee of the Whole.

This concludes the committee’s general comments on Bill 6. Individual Members may have additional questions or comments as proceed. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To date it is my understanding that the Program Review Office does not charge back for full accounting of reviewing of programs. It would then stand to reason to me, and to other Members potentially, that the Program Review Office be tasked to do this review of the midwifery services.

As the Member has offered to this House the cost of $100,000 that would go to an RFP, would it not make sense that we apply this $100,000 for the review back to the person actually doing the services, or I should say who was doing the services for the record, and allow the Program Review...

I want to thank the Minister for that particular answer, putting on record that it costs about $100,000. With this particular money potentially being spent -- because I assume it hasn’t been spent yet -- who will be doing this review and when can we see a report done back into this House? Obviously, a report won’t be tabled or presented to this particular House as it expires within a few months, but that said, when is there a true expectation of this report seeing the light of day and by whom?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A particular issue I’ve been raising for a number of years, as well as my colleague Ms. Bisaro, is the distracted driving legislation, and it is of significant concern to a number of other MLAs in this House.

Mr. Speaker, recently at one of my constituency meetings people were wondering if the government will be moving forward on this type of initiative, especially recognizing the amount of time left in this particular Assembly and knowing full well that if legislation isn’t introduced in this sitting it won’t be considered under this government, under the 16th Assembly...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I talked about opportunities that ITI I’m hoping will consider. I’ve proposed to them a program called in-the-NWT. In my Member’s statement I talked about the success the Made-in-the-NWT Program has developed into and many northern businesses have expressed to me with great pride that they’re able to access that, promote their products from a made-in-the-NWT point of view. I thought, after considering that, that that was really the genesis of what could be in the NWT and it could be applied to many industries. So I had a graphic artist...

I appreciate the answer from the Minister. I’ve approached different people in industries and I’ve talked to some people in the film industry. They thought it was an interesting concept. I’ve talked to people in the agriculture industry and they thought it was kind of nice. They’re certainly looking forward to what the government can do, if they can do anything, on the context of this concept. The product I brought to the Minister and that I tabled before the House yesterday was not to be a finished product. It was about trying to spark the genesis of new ideas that are rightly suited with the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A number of years ago I approached ITI with the idea of a made-in-the-NWT branding program. This idea was to support our local manufacturing businesses across the North to assist them as they market their products. Voluntary, of course, but what this does is help the consumers understand the choices before them. For example, a consumer could buy windows made in the NWT, which of course incidentally are produced in Hay River, or they could buy those other brands that are not produced in the North. The importance of this program is, as when I suggested it was, the fact...

What I found, working at the corrections centre, was that when many of these souls did dry up and cleaned up from their alcohol and drug problems, I would find that they rid themselves of those drug and alcohol demons and they were truly decent people. Clearly there is a problem.

By now what I’m trying to say is this territory needs better options. We need a treatment centre in Yellowknife and it should be a program that includes treatment for crack, meth addiction, as well as prescription abuse. I remind the Health Minister that this is truly an important issue in the public that needs...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. At this time, I’d like to move that committee reports progress. Thank you.

---Carried

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Please provide information, other than the MACA website, as to how the department publicly promotes the office of consumer affairs, along with the office’s mandate.

How many complaints or inquiries has this office had over the past two years?

Please provide a summary of these complaints or inquiries for the past two years along with any recommendations and actions taken.