Statements in Debates
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that we report progress.
Mr. Speaker, I’m reminded of the old adage that the definition of insanity is you keep doing something over and over and expect different results. Mr. Speaker, the issue here really is one of consideration. I didn’t say was that the final outcome of the report, is that the driving force of the report. I’d just like to know if it’s a real consideration, Mr. Speaker. So, in essence, the how would we achieve efficiencies if these types of measures weren’t considered. If it was rolled into the territorial government, we all know that it wouldn’t require a general rate application process or a PUB...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to pick up from where Member Groenewegen had taken issue today with some of the Power Corporation’s rate review. One of the issues of interest of mine is, is the NWT Power Corporation going to be considered -- in its restructuring of rates, that is -- potentially a new department for the Northwest Territories government. I have spoken on that issue a couple of times and said I think, in the long run, that will give us better accountability, perhaps it will even create efficiencies. My question is directly to the Premier, who is the Minister...
Mr. Speaker, the Minister is referring to the Medical Travel Policy as the one-fit solution to every problem, Mr. Speaker. In this particular case, their loved one who had to be their escort was denied. They had trouble getting down for the pre-op surgery in advance of the actual surgery. They had troubles being booted out of the hospital in Edmonton and being told that if they didn’t get back on a certain date, even though the hospital in Edmonton had said they had to stay for a follow-up, they were told that they were going to be cut off. Now, again, I don’t sort of saddle the Minister with...
Thank you. Today in my Member’s statement I talked about the issue of organ transplant policy or, I should say, the lack thereof, and the difficulties some people have had following through in the process. That is pre-op care and certainly the medical travel process, as well as the follow-up from the post process, whether it’s about getting medication signed off, whether it’s getting the proper travel, about getting them back on time including loved ones. So, Mr. Speaker, I don’t necessarily blame the Minister in any way specific to this problem, but the Minister is well aware of this...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to use my Member’s statement to talk about a frustrating experience that a number of Members in this House share. It’s about a bureaucratic approach that continues to drag success down when people are trying to do the right thing.
The issue I would like to discuss in this House is about organ donation in the Northwest Territories. Now, I know that we have a small population and that Stanton cannot provide the highly specialized transplant services that many people do need in the world. But, like most organ harvesting and transplant operations that do have...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to start off today by thanking the NWT Construction Association, which held a meeting last Friday to talk about 300 homes for 300 families. They want to find a way to help attract people to the Northwest Territories. I must highlight that they’ve really sparked off the debate as to where some of our financial and long-term visions should lie. Certainly, they’ve nailed it down to one of the biggest problems we have here in the North. The Construction Association has clearly identified that housing is a serious problem here in the North and, certainly...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have something to table today. It was a picture that was e-mailed to me that really sums up the cell phone issue. It’s says “Honk if you Love Jesus and Text While You’re Driving if You’d Like to Meet Him.” I’ll make sure the Minister of Transportation gets a copy.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to see if the Minister will commit to developing a policy that could help stimulate a housing boom here in the Northwest Territories that does not disrupt market costs or market value in the Northwest Territories but stimulates it through some kind of a bursary program that could work through our individual municipalities again to help them with the infrastructure costs and the land development costs. Mr. Speaker, would the Minister be willing to look at a policy of that nature to help kick off our economy after this recession? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today in my Member’s statement I was trying to talk about the issue of solving some our housing problems. We’ve got one arm of the government trying to attract people; we’ve got another arm of the government of housing that likes to talk about how they work to increase the adequate supply and sustainability and, certainly, the affordability of housing, but we just don’t seem to have a conductor organizing this whole thing. Then comes along this committee called the strategic investment for cost of living. I think they could be the real focus of this and...