Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I can truly understand why the Health Minister would say that his perspective is the board, or I should say Stanton is functioning quite well, because he’s sort of running it. So through the deputy minister. So why would he think anything else? I guess, really, my final question, Mr. Speaker, in a timely way will be, would the Minister do the right thing and eliminate any concerns that I’ve arisen here, whether implied or not? Would he appoint, in the spirit and intent of the act, an independent board; I don’t have a problem with the JLC, but an independent board...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, it’s in my view that there seems to be some difficulty. I see this as a conflict, in my humble opinion. Although I’m not a lawyer, and I just, you know, I don’t have those skills to define that, but I see it as a perceived concern where the Minister sits there. I’d like to see where the Minister shows me in the act of a timely way and mechanism for the reappointment of a board that’s an independent public board. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions will be directed to the Minister of Health and Social Services and I’ll be asking him questions regarding the spirit and intent of the act that empowers this Minister. So, Mr. Speaker, knowing, as I said, the spirit and intent of the act recognizes health authorities, maybe we could trouble the Minister today to explain to us where in this act it shows that he should be the chair of Stanton Territorial Hospital when it talks about appointments of board members to hospital boards. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. As I said, the Minister has the ultimate responsibility of his department and the authorities. I believe if he chairs the Stanton board the Minister could be perceived as being in a position of conflict where he cannot show objective thinking where it may be compromised in their discussions. That will lead us nowhere and yet it will make the board look silly.

What does he really want, Mr. Speaker? He should be Minister, which he’s appointed to now. The role of the board is to provide strategic direction to ensure regional perspectives are brought...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First off I’ll say I’m glad to see two energy statements in regards to the concerns by the Ministers read into the record today, because that will be very important later. Although I have to tell you, Mr. Speaker, I’m not old enough to have experienced the telex, Morse code, or other things like that…

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…like Mr. Braden has. I can tell you my TV, cell phone and Internet generation has seen significant climate changes and concerns that we see today. My Member’s statement today, then, Mr. Speaker, as you’ve probably guessed, is about core funding for the Arctic...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First off I’ll say I’m glad to see two energy statements in regards to the concerns by the Ministers read into the record today, because that will be very important later. Although I have to tell you, Mr. Speaker, I’m not old enough to have experienced the telex, Morse code, or other things like that…

---Laughter

…like Mr. Braden has. I can tell you my TV, cell phone and Internet generation has seen significant climate changes and concerns that we see today. My Member’s statement today, then, Mr. Speaker, as you’ve probably guessed, is about core funding for the Arctic...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I will be voting with the motion to delete that amount. What concerns me on this is it seems like a lot of money for investigation to a problem that I am not sure is our fault. The bottom line is if we have assumed an asset through whatever process, did we assume the liability with that knowingly? If we did, I guess we are on the hook for this money. On the hook, I should say, for the cleanup. As far as I am concerned, I don’t think that’s been satisfied at this stage to say that it should be our fault. I think this should be taken back through proper channels to our...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am glad to hear that the Minister is talking to YACCS through correspondence, as he pointed out. I am glad he mentioned business plans are coming forward to address forced growth problems. So going back to the $500,000 gap, Mr. Speaker, and the Minister is well versed in this so we don’t have to go into too much detail, can the Minister lay out some of the plans to meet wage parity in this upcoming business plan? What is the mandate he is giving his department to address this problem? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today, I talked about the government’s obvious undervalue of service agencies by not allowing these organizations like YACCS to pay their employees fair marketing competitive market wages, Mr. Speaker. My questions are directed to the Minister of Health and Social Services. What is the Minister prepared to do to assist YACCS and other organizations like them to ensure that they are able to offer competitive and attractive salaries and compensation packages to hire and keep trained staff in order to continue the high quality of essential...

Thank you, colleagues, and thank you, Minister Miltenberger. I can see you wanting to nay this. Mr. Speaker, the truth is, we have to start honing up to our responsibility. The concern is out there; we have no options. I expect nothing less than swift action from this Minister of Health and Social Services, because the continued survival of YACCS and other NGOs just like them are the backbone of our social infrastructure.

Mr. Speaker, in closing here, this is something that has been a serious concern of mine, but I have to tell you it’s been a serious concern of those directly affected for...