Alfred Moses

With the announcement of the Minister’s address, I’ve been getting a lot of phone calls from my constituents back in Inuvik in regard to how to use this $100,000, and as the other $100,000 that’s been allocated to do a strategic plan, as the planning process continues to move forward and all the leaders are at the table discussing how we can best deal with this situation, while discussions are going on there are a lot of worried people in the community of Inuvik with the residents and constituents. I do know that there is a meeting going on tomorrow and I hope we get some really positive...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I was going to make a quick general comment about the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline office and with the downturn and, I don’t want to say lack of activity, but how other groups are addressing it and reacting to it and yet we’re still continuing to put money into the office. I just want to make a general comment. I know we did a comment back to Mr. Bromley earlier.

I have a question in terms of the line item of industrial initiatives there. There is a decrease and the mandate of the industrial initiatives outlined in the activity description do a lot of work in terms of the...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. That’s kind of what I wanted to get right off the start. That leads me to my second question. I have a couple here.

As the Minister responsible for Seniors, is he willing to look at the one motion that is relevant to the clientele and people that he represents, and work within his Cabinet to look at the motion in regard to the public housing rental scales in which there were recommendations made from the seniors brought forth by the Seniors’ Society, as well as made from this side of the House? Is he willing to do that and look at addressing that issue?

Madam Speaker, I asked for a commitment to see these recommendations, motions put through in this government, if not sooner. We get a lot of discussions here and I don’t want to have to ask another question and get whether a commitment of yes or no and not discussions. It seems like I’ll have to use a second question to get a yes commitment or a no discussion commitment. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I’d like to welcome and recognize Shane Thompson. He’s been a very strong mentor and role model to a lot of youth in the Northwest Territories, including myself. Along with Shane I’d like to recognize his son Steven, who is a recent graduate, and congratulate him on that. I’d also like to recognize Colinda Blondin, who is a graduate of the Recreation Leaders Program and is doing a lot of great work with the youth, from what I hear.

I just appreciate the comments and the willingness to sit down with regard to the contribution. We’ll just take that further and when I go back I’ll have a meeting with the society and get a little bit more information to them. Thanks for the comments and the answers.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just want to make quick comments. The Great Northern Arts Festival, it’s $25,000 last couple years and that’s what they’re getting this year. I just wanted to ask the Minister if that’s a fixed contribution agreement with the society or is it just what this government is allocating to them.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have concerns here, again, back to my opening comments about the decrease in the amount of dollars committed to energy. We do have two communities here that are going to be in dire need. Inuvik is one of them, and it’s going to be sooner than later. Who knows when that’s going to happen? Then we’ve got Norman Wells coming up in a couple years. To have the amount of money that’s contributed to it, there’s already been discussions of due to the budget address that we had earlier in the year where it was mentioned that it was $100,000 for the wood pellets and the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Obviously, first and foremost on my list in a few of these departments is the Inuvik gas situation. When I look at the opening address and the money allocated to helping out the residents of Inuvik. I always said it time and time again, that it’s a bigger issue than just the community of Inuvik. This is something that’s going to affect the economy as a whole for the NWT, the rippling effects should Inuvik run out of gas and the high cost of living.

As mentioned again, we were just there this past weekend for the graduation ceremonies and there’s a lot of discussion of...

That was a good answer. As the Minister responsible for Seniors and ensuring that seniors have an accurate and fulfilling life in their early years and be able to continue on our traditions, culture and language, would the Minister be willing to look at these motions and be willing to address them as the Minister responsible for Seniors and not the Minister responsible for what was discussed? It was the seniors who brought this forward, after all. Thank you.