Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister talks as if she's still in the 19th Assembly. Mr. Speaker, this is about the 20th Assembly making these decisions, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to ask the Minister clearly and simply will she work with committee in advance of releasing this information? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the Minister, not the Premier in this case obviously, has just said public their public position is they're responding to the cries of the public, not to Members. That's what I just heard. And she said it was shared to get it out there but my letter to my office says confidential. So how am I supposed to share it? So, Mr. Speaker, my question, I guess for the Finance Minister, who is a recycled Minister from the last government, is how are Members supposed to share confidential documents when you stamp them confidential and you get to publicly release them without...

A hallmark of consensus government, Mr. Speaker, is Members work with the Cabinet and the Cabinet works with the Members on this side of the House, at times to discuss policy changes. We're working together to find solutions together. You know, sometimes we even talk about issues in advance of them becoming public policies. But that's not to say Members have a veto, Mr. Speaker. No, my goodness. Members' input matters a lot. Sometimes maybe even we put it to the point is it is fundamental to how consensus government is built around here. It defines the difference on how we do business here...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The further qualification to the overall thing is this is a 90day estimate or interim estimate, and maybe for the public's sense and on the record, that is and we'll just say by way of example, the Assembly doesn't support the contract or initiative called the Widget. I'm not going to pick on anyone in particular because we don't want anyone to get the wrong message here. So if the Assembly chose to support the Widget initiative that had currently being the 90day proposal but we decide to vote against it, delete it in the at the let's say the advancement of the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, February 22nd, 2024, I will present to the House Bill 1, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you kindly, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, February 22nd, 2024, I will move the following motion:

Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Kam Lake, that the following persons be recommended to the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories for appointment to the Northwest Territories Honours Advisory Council effective immediately for a term of three years:

Ms. Jane Arychuk of Yellowknife; and,

Ms. Denise McDonald of Inuvik.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as a former employee with the department of public works for the government, I actually helped do projects in that building. Many of us in this room, you know, maybe even some Cabinet folks, will remember the crisis that happened to the YWCA where one of their buildings burnt down and they were able to facilitate to let people move into that place even for about a year. So, Mr. Speaker and there were other opportunities. What is so dangerous to that building that we couldn't do a phased move in and a phased repair to ensure people and families are safely...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the issues the Minister raised herself specifically in one of the questions was accessibility to land, and we had we cannot let that pass without questioning what does that actually mean? Does the department have access to the full land that they intend to put the project on, or is there a further complication the public, including myself, am not aware of? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think I want to make sure it's clear to the House, and certainly the public, the merits of the project, they're not being debated in any form whatsoever. So I don't want anyone to misunderstand.

So, Mr. Speaker, with respect to the accessibility of information on this particular project, what is the Minister doing from the department's point of view of promoting and educating the public as to each step of what's happening? Because the impacts have neighbours and communities very concerned. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's kind of like a one thing follows the next. Jobs means taxes. Taxes mean money to the government. Government means services. Etcetera, etcetera. The Minister just said it's an extensive process. She wants to grow the opportunities in the Northwest Territories. I have employers coming to me saying they can't fill out the paperwork because of time, energy, and inability to follow through properly.

What is the Minister willing to do to help support northern employers who are trying to create employment opportunities to serve Northerners and create...