Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to raise the issue I was discussing in my Member’s statement today and it’s my concern that there is still no legislation, that I’m aware of, on the legislative agenda coming forward in this Legislature’s term.
Mr. Speaker, we have a little more than a year and a half left, and the question keeps getting asked to the Minister of Transportation, where is this legislation, where is the department on this legislation, where is the department on this issue.
So, Mr. Speaker, to the Minister of Transportation: does he expect any legislation coming forward in this term to deal with banning cell phones while people are driving? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. Michael McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member is starting to sound like a broken record. Every time he doesn’t get his way, he’s starting to say the Minister doesn’t care, the Minister doesn’t care. That’s a very strong statement to make, given that I take very seriously what the Members raise in this House and outside of this House and what the residents of the North bring forward.
I also have to say where was he when I did make the response on what we were doing with cell phones. Either he doesn’t know what I made in my statement, or he doesn’t care to know what I made in my statement, or he’s totally confused about what I said in my statement. I would certainly be glad to share that statement with him. It would lay out what we’re planning to do.
I had indicated, in commitment to this House, that we would be collecting data and that’s what we are doing right now. Thank you.
Apparently, I should say I hurt the Minister’s feeling over there. I didn’t realize he was all sensitive about this and maybe the job is too big for him...
Awww.
...to the issue of being challenged. Mr. Speaker, you know, gathering data is about as useful as collecting a single e-mail on this particular case. What does that actually mean in the real life of bringing forward legislation that reflects a ban for this type of product in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I don’t have to point out to the Member that enforcement and penalties are just one portion of what it would take to deal with the issue of distracted driving education. It has to be part of that process. We have started doing the communications. We are talking to the communities. We are talking to the City of Yellowknife. I know he’s very much in a hurry and is a very impatient person, but there are certain steps that we have to take. I will remind the Member again, in case he wasn’t here for the vote, but we did vote in this House and the vote to bring in legislation on cell phones was defeated. It is my job now to have all the information in place before I go back to the standing committee to present that information so they can see what work is out there, how serious this concern is and then I would take a measure on whether there is enough support to bring it forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I can obviously see there is an excellent jousting match going on today. I will send one back. The Minister is correct; I am impatient because safety is at risk here. I wish he would realize that too. Mr. Speaker, consultation, we have to talk, we have to talk, we have to talk. We have eight out of 11 regions that are addressing this issue. I am not sure what more studying the Minister needs to do other than the fact that do we need to make a particular type of legislation that reflects northern values but still keeps safety in mind? Mr. Speaker, what signal is the Minister waiting to move forward on this issue? Is he waiting for a private Member’s bill by Regular Members to move forward on this issue? Would the Minister support a private Member’s bill if it was brought forward by a Regular Member? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, unlike the Member, I would like to bring information forward when I am totally prepared. We did have a vote in this House. I don’t want to bring a piece of legislation forward to the Members of this House and have it defeated. I think there is a lot of work that has to be done. The Members have to see some of the drafts of the legislation that we would be proposing. That is what we are working on right now. We are still consulting. We’ve heard how serious the issue of consulting with residents of the Northwest Territories is. We plan to do the work necessary. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Mr. Speaker, that is one of the better answers that I have heard from this Minister in a while. Mr. Speaker, this Minister is wanting a show about working together and doing homework. At present, I have already started working on a private Member’s bill on this particular issue. When it gets finalized, I am going to bring it forward to my colleagues to see if they have input. I guess my question to the Minister directly is: would he like to co-author this bill and show some unanimity in this House where that side of the House, the government side works with Regular Members, put our citizens first in a safety process? Mr. Speaker, would the Minister be willing to co-author a private Member’s bill? Thank you.
The Member knows full well that we’re always open for advice. The Member seconded a motion in this House that got defeated on this very issue. He knows the challenges that cell phone and distracted driving legislation has, that it needs a lot of attention and a lot of work. We have to have all our facts straight. We need to consult with our colleagues across the floor. We are going to be writing to standing committee to request some time to do so. That’s our plan right now.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
