Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well I can appreciate the importance and the sensitivity of individual contracts, but the general broad brush scope of what a DM’s criteria of why they get their bonuses should be part of the management of this overall House. So, Mr. Speaker, I ask once again, would the Premier be willing to show us the type of targets and defining guidelines he’s going to have, to ensure that we have strong management and feel comfort with the crisis that we’re in, that we’re being led by good leaders in each department? Would he make those available to Members? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’ll refer to my concerns I raised yesterday and even a year ago in this House. It’s about this government and its management in achieving the energy targets that I’ve spoken about so passionately. With respect to the DMs and their overall performance and management of their departments in this new energy crisis that grips us all, will the Premier look at developing and attaching targets and criteria that will link the management bonuses that each department receives to how they deal with this energy crisis? Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and my question is to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will we still have a piecemeal process going on? I compliment the Minister on allowing a transfer to go through just in September that gave the city access to three parcels of land. We further pushed back the rest of the lands for a decision to be made in January. Regardless of what is going to happen in January, is the Minister prepared to act on the remaining outstanding applications that the City of Yellowknife has for lands and stop holding the city hostage? They need to continue to develop lands for houses and businesses, et cetera. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I promised earlier, I do have my thought-provoking questions for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Mr. Speaker, status quo has truly become the norm. The one-year land lease-only policy is probably up to 16 years of life. The roadblocks for the City of Yellowknife are still being put in front of them because they need land to develop in a reasonable way. They try to work with the Yellowknives. Will the Minister provide an update on the status of discussions between himself and the Yellowknives Dene on how the City’s land requests are coming...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight met on October 11, 2005, to review Bill 6, Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2005. This act makes minor amendments to a number of statutes. Following a clause-by-clause review, a motion was carried to report Bill 6 as ready for Committee of the Whole. This concludes the committee’s general comments on Bill 6. Individual Members may have questions or comments as we proceed. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can appreciate the goals are important factors to judge against, but unfortunately those goals were measured two years ago when oil was at 30-some dollars a barrel. It was $64 a barrel yesterday. So recognizing times have changed and contracts need to be adjusted to reflect those things, it’s important. I take this as a serious enough issue that we should be involved in what are some of the criteria that these DMs are being judged against so they get their bonuses, because I’d like to see this government reward good behaviour and not reward less good...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Would the Premier, also known as the Maytag repairman, be willing to make these requirements and management criteria available to all Members of this House? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No one wants to circumvent the process for the Yellowknives Dene in the land that is rightly theirs. But, Mr. Speaker, consultation needs to come to a close eventually. So if there is still a process that has reached no further results due to the negotiations on land selection, what is the Minister going to do? Is he going to finally agree to turn over those lands in January that the city has had out on request for quite a long time? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That wasn’t quite the thought-provoking answer I was looking for.

---Laughter

I will certainly take any answer. He said once the land is turned over to the city by this government. Does he mean that it is the intention of his department to turn over all of the remaining lands in this term of this government to the City of Yellowknife? I just want to get some clarity on that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Once again I rise to bring the House's attention to the City's difficulty in getting the land it needs for development.

Yellowknife is a growing city; it needs land for homes, businesses and green space. It shouldn't come as a surprise to the MACA Minister. Although the Premier indicated in June that the government had no requests for residential land from the city before it, I understand now that that was not the case and that there were several applications still outstanding at that time.

I was pleased to hear the MACA Minister has recently made a timely decision on...