Bill Braden

Thank you. I think that’s all for now and thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chairman, will our accountabilities out of this Assembly be altered in any way? Perhaps I can phrase the question this way; that if I was a Tlicho citizen and I had a difficulty with the way in which a GNWT service was being provided, where would I go? Would I go to this new community services board and expect to get satisfaction there? Would I go to my MLA? Would I go to the Minister responsible for whatever program and so on? I’m just trying to seek that difference or that clarification and to make sure that I understand what my job is here as a part of this Assembly. Thank you, Mr...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As almost always is the case with this kind of thing, time is of the essence. The regulatory process has a number of triggers and deadlines built into it. What kind of priority is the Minister going to be putting on securing this funding and working with our partners and other NGOs in communities to help get this money in place just as soon as possible? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have some questions for Mr. Bell, the Minister of what we now call RWED and is soon to be a couple of other departments. It is in the area of the Mackenzie Valley pipeline project and funding and support for organizations, regional governments, to help prepare for this pipeline.

In Wednesday’s federal budget, Mr. Speaker, the federal government put $150 million on the table over the next four years to increase federal and regional capacity to respond efficiently and effectively to environmental and regulatory applications associated with the pipeline.

Mr. Speaker...

Mr. Speaker, I’m not sure the Minister understands the difference between a legislative review, which is partly what we’ve undertaken, and an operational review, which is to say that once we’ve created the rules and the platform for how a job is to be done, how is the job actually implemented and undertaken. This is where many injured workers have come to me and other MLAs, to say that the way the WCB performs in this area for some workers, not all, but for some, puts them on an endless treadmill of appeals and frustration. When are we going to undertake an operational review? Thank you, Mr...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions this morning are for the Minister responsible for the Workers’ Compensation Board and they have to do with the program of legislative changes undertaken in the last Assembly. Mr. Speaker, there was a second phase of legislative review that was committed to. In fact, the most recent report of the WCB says that the second phase of the legislative review will focus on outstanding aspects not addressed in phase one. The research developments and consultations on these issues will be undertaken throughout 2004. Mr. Speaker, that has passed. I’m not aware of...

Right now, Mr. Chairman, we’re engaged in the annual budget review and, of course, through this is the opportunity to hold to account Ministers for various programs and for results to date and for what they hope to achieve in the future. This is something that I take as a very significant part of my responsibility as an MLA, and that’s why it’s going to take three weeks, maybe four weeks, to go through this budget. We want to make sure we do it carefully. Will my ability to hold the government to account be diminished or changed in any way because of this agreement as it relates to the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I, too, speak in favour of Bill 15. It has been my privilege to have voted for all three bills that this Assembly agreed to pass, to enable this claim to happen.

As we have come through many years of negotiating and back and forth, and we have the legislation, of course now the work will begin. It might be the end of a process, but it is the beginning of the real work of putting this to work for the Tlicho people. As my colleague from North Slave said, restoring authorities and responsibilities that had always been with the Tlicho people.

I certainly consider that it...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess one of the characteristics of federal budgets is large ideas and large blocks are introduced. The devil is in the detail. Given where we are now, just a few days out of the announcement, would the Minister undertake to lobby the federal government to make sure that a substantial portion of this is available to northern NGOs and communities, perhaps even our own government, to help us respond efficiently and effectively to applications? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the public report called Act Now, which spurred these initial changes, was presented to the Ministers almost three years ago now, but has yet to be tabled in this House. Will this Minister table this report for the record in this Assembly? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.