Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Very briefly, the public drunkenness, open liquor and underage drinking that has been mentioned as the focus of this effort is something that does need to be addressed and represents, really, a huge part, a huge bolus of the instances that our RCMP are forced to deal with, despite many other competing priorities. There typically are other resources that could be put to work to help in this regard.

I’d like to thank my colleague Mr. Dolynny, Mr. Mover, for bringing this forward and I will be supporting it. I also appreciate the recognition of the possible need for some...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Shale oil development in the Bakken area has placed immediate and unrelenting strain on all types of infrastructure. Transportation infrastructure is a primary concern. There are currently 9,322 producing wells in North Dakota, and the state expects that an additional 2,000 will be drilled this year. The average drilling rig requires at least 2,000 truckloads of materials and supplies, which has an equivalent impact of 25,000 light vehicles on roadways. A single loaded truck raises approximately 100 pounds of dust per mile on gravel roads, coating vegetation and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister responsible for the Social Envelope Committee of Cabinet, the Honourable Glen Abernethy.

What is the current annual cost to administer each of the 16 income assistance and other income security programs mentioned in point 2 on page 5 of the recent Auditor General’s Income Security Program Review? For the purposes of this question, “cost to administer” is defined as GNWT salaries, overhead for office space, travel, per diems and other program delivery-related expenses.

What are the current total annual payments made to clients under each...

I’m sure we’ll see in the Hansard tomorrow exactly what the words were, but I think they were very plain. The Minister said I have rejected some, I have accepted some, and so on.

Could the Minister tell us what exactly has he done here? Has he suggested that he has accepted, rejected and proposed to modify some to the federal Minister, and where is the clarity on this conflict of interest situation?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are in follow-up to my colleague Ms. Bisaro’s questions with respect to the Giant Mine. I’d like to ask the Minister of the Environment, I know he’s aware that there’s a potential conflict of interest here with the proponent, the double role that the government is playing in this case being that there is no mining company and we are both the proponent and the regulator. Now the federal government has developed a firewall to try and keep the processes separate between the regulatory side and the proponent side.

Do we have such a firewall between the two...

As we pour money down this black hole, which we know will drain our coffers for decades to come, we are hearing rumours that the gravel being laid is sinking into the tundra. Mr. Speaker, what is the Minister not telling us about this albatross?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Shane Clark. I can’t really see if he’s still up there, but Shane is the proud father, I know, of a couple of our Pages here, twins Sophie and Grace Clark. Welcome to the House.

I’d like to also, at this time, express appreciation to our Pages once again for all the service they’ve provided during this very busy session. Our long-suffering Pages in particular from Weledeh, besides Sophie and Grace we’ve also had Shiri MacPherson, who is the daughter of our Law Clerk, Sheila MacPherson. We’ve also had Niva Stephenson and Jacob Schubert. Again, thank...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I began reviewing the Education Renewal Initiative, anticipating a statement detailing its failures. Wrong. In fact, I was impressed and offer my compliments to the people who have worked so hard to develop it and bring it forward.

The plan draws on research which reveals the need to teach, or a competency-based model that works better with how a child’s brain actually functions, with more integration of learning across subjects. Self-worth is recognized as essential for success in school for everyone.

More than knowledge and skills, learning involves the integration of...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Thanks to the Minister for his opening remarks. I just want to put in a word here of appreciation, on behalf of the folks in Detah and all those that use that road, to my colleagues and to the Minister and all my colleagues in the House for approving this or proposing this expenditure.

It’s been a very long time. I think people know that the road was originally just thrown in almost on an incidental basis. They got a tractor out there and basically put soil and gravel on top of the vegetation. It wasn’t even properly cleared. As a result, it’s suffered a lot of problems...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to item 8 on the Order Paper. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted