Bill Braden

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I, too, have an inquiry about item 72, North American Tungsten Corporation, a debt to the Workers’ Compensation Board for almost $102,000. The question I guess I have, Mr. Chairman is jurisdiction. Why is this item before this committee? We don’t typically, in fact at all, does this Assembly approve anything to do with the Workers’ Compensation Board, not a penny. They are an independent organization with their own administration and I guess I can’t recall when something like this has come before us. Why is it that we are asked to sign off on something that the...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight conducted its public review of Bill 8, Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, on September 5th, 2006, and October 16th, 2006. Following the committee's review, Mr. Chairman, a motion was carried to report Bill 8, Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, to the Assembly as ready for Committee of the Whole. This concludes the committee's opening comments on Bill 8. Individual Members may have additional questions or comments as we proceed. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate, too, it has something to do with supplies and medically described items that have this DIN, or drug insurance number. So there's obviously some administration or bureaucracy that is falling through the cracks here. I would like to ask the Minister what kind of direct appeal has been made to the health care insurance provider to sit down and fix this, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question this morning is for Mr. Roland as the Minister responsible for Human Resources. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned in my Member's statement, due to a change in billing procedure from our health care insurance provider, employees and their families are inconvenienced, in some cases considerably, because they have to pay up front for doctor-prescribed supplies; whereas before, this was all handled through the pharmacist and direct billing. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister what kind of notice and what kind of reasons were provided by the health care...

Finally, Mr. Chairman, just for clarification. The WCB then has full responsibility and accountability for its own debts and its own books. The GNWT does not get involved in it in any way except for this administrative situation here with managing or handling or deciding on their debt portfolio, Mr. Chair.

While we are on a technicality here, this is a shared Workers’ Compensation Board. Does Nunavut have to go through a similar clunkety-clunk, Mr. Chair?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight reviewed Bill 10, Forgiveness of Debts Act, 2006-2007, at a meeting on September 5th, 2006. This concludes the committee's general comments on Bill 10. Mr. Chairman, individual Members may have comments or questions as we proceed. Thank you.

Here we go again, Mr. Speaker, still under Ottawa’s thumb trying to get anywhere at all with resource revenue sharing and devolution. It’s tough enough that we can’t even secure our own independence with one of 20 people on a board. We are not even able to get that far with Ottawa. Will the Premier, indeed, once consultation is through, put forward a name that we know we have confidence in and insist that the Minister of Northern Affairs take that as the true and full voice for the NWT, Mr. Speaker?

You know, Mr. Speaker, when these boards were created, and we are going back about 10 years now, the NWT fought for a degree of representation and autonomy so that we knew that our voices were indeed going to be heard, along with those of many First Nations who also have designated spots on those boards. Just why is it that we are not pressing the Minister to accept our nominee so that we can be assured that our position is being heard as clearly as possible and not subject to the whims or biases that a federal Minister might want to have, Mr. Speaker?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. In the area of development and regulatory matters, the Northwest Territories does not have a great score card in the industry of mineral and oil and gas exploration, Mr. Chair. We often hear the statistic quoted that Alberta, on an annual basis, processes hundreds of applications for exploration of natural resources and, yet, a number of approvals here in the Northwest Territories, basically you can count them on a couple of hands.

The major deficiency that’s been identified, a chronic deficiency, has been the lack of capacity in the regulatory boards established under the...