Robert Hawkins

Earlier today I brought up the issue of the Volunteer Support Initiative action plan. The issue really is creating volunteers in spirit and morale within the public service.

A lot of public servants belong to many organizations and they volunteer personal time, but sometimes, as these things conflict with work time, we need a system that engenders that volunteer spirit.

What I’m going to ask the Premier is: would he consider looking at creating a volunteer day for the public service so they can help give back to their community? It would build morale and spirit within our public service.

Like many of my colleagues here today, I would like to make a special mention of Mr. Jeske and his presence here. He makes every effort to show up at the start of each session. So, Mr. Jeske, thank you for coming.

Mr. Speaker, it’s pleasant news to finally hear it live, here in the flesh, for the first time. I’d encourage the Premier to make sure he articulates these groundbreaking movements on subjects like this to all Members.

Mr. Speaker, is he also seeking other support from maybe our Senators and other MPs like this? The fact is the Premiers are the big issue. What type of information and support is he really getting from them? Is it one of those “Good idea, but we’ll just sign on so it looks good on the letterhead”? Or is he getting real support, whereas then they’ll break some real ground on this...

Just one last question, Mr. Speaker. As far as the communications regarding the reliability of the programs we offer — our power program, that is — can I get some feedback as to when the Minister can provide this communication strategy? Would he be willing to see if he could provide it before the end of this session, which is almost three weeks?

Mr. Speaker, I referred in my Member’s statement about one of the problems with the NWT Power Corp as I see it. We know there are consistently three problems, which are rates, as just highlighted by the other Member; reliability, as I suggested in my statement; and certainly communication, which has come out quite clearly in the riding in the last week.

To the third issue I’d like to ask the Minister Responsible for the NWT Power Corporation: would he look into setting up a communication strategy and plan so we can ensure that our residents can get timely information if there is a power outage...

Mr. Speaker, residents of Yellowknife have had a very concerning experience recently. With the air temperature below minus 40 Celsius, a total power outage happened. The city sat in total darkness for over an hour in many areas before it was restored. Yellowknife continues to get blackouts from time to time, and it’s a topic that has been raised in this House before. This case was extreme, because it was caused at a very serious time of our year, and it bothered many constituents in my riding. In these temperatures that are so cold, it doesn’t take long before the cold sweeps into your home...

Well, I’m just going to leave it at that, but I want to highlight the fact that it’s being brought up by a lone opposition member again, in a party that’s not recognized as the Official Opposition, so it’s going to be treated as a far-down priority.

The fact is that we all know there’s a looming potential election coming up, and even if the Conservatives return, it’s a good time to start putting a full-court press on this issue. Maybe we can get some serious commitments in advance of a potential election. It’s good to continue citing or screening this issue toward southern candidates so they...

Mr. Speaker, I think some of my constituents in the last little while, over the Christmas season…. The issue of the Northern residency tax deduction has come up a couple of times now.

Mr. Speaker, as we all know, when you’re in the opposition party and when you’re proposing a new idea or a new initiative to the party that’s in government, we know that they respond to you like you’re a little mosquito, even if it is a good idea. They sort of say, “Good idea, but shoo!” You know, Mr. Speaker.

So instead of taking up this issue with our MP, who’s actually in the fourth party — or, I should say, our...

Mr. Speaker, I’ll accept that offer of following through on that potential communication plan.

To follow up on the real liability issues I highlighted in my Member’s statement, some days we can see that after minus 40, just like Air Canada, they don’t seem to fly. I’m curious that the pressures of the southern-built power stations…. Maybe that’s the issue.

What is the reliability problem after minus 40 that our power stations seem to suffer from? And what is the Minister doing about that?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have always, in principle, been a big supporter of the Deh Cho Bridge project. I think it’s a good project. Mr. Speaker, there were a lot of problems associated with this project and, as I understand it, there were still 12 outstanding issues. If the Minister is not prepared to give me an answer on every single one of those 12 issues that are still outstanding today, will he provide Members details on every one of those issues and how we are remedying them in the next few days? Can he provide that by the end of next week? Thank you.