Bob Bromley

Thank you. Volunteer groups are desperate for some real assistance with capacity and liability issues and training. This requires an informed person, an informed person with some funding who recognizes the critical need for the third sector, the volunteer community. Would the Premier commit, or at least look into, perhaps commit to looking into establishing an outreach office within the Executive that puts in place just such a qualified person and funds to serve that desperate need that we’re hearing about? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Premier and I’d like to start by just mentioning that in the early days of this Assembly, Members got together and identified the need to move all of our volunteer initiatives into a single place under the Department of the Executive. I think this was raised by my colleague Ms. Bisaro yesterday. There was considerable emphasis and agreement put on this and the Premier did respond, but unfortunately it was only done in part. Will the Premier commit to completing this move to get all our volunteer initiatives into a single office in the Executive...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I look forward to those reports. Many of the delays my constituent experiences in this case, sometimes lasting several months in duration, have been because the medical advisor simply was not available. Surely this can be resolved by having an alternate advisor for when the medical advisor is unavailable. Will the Minister recognize the dire straits of injured workers waiting for decisions and commit to putting in place a mechanism to deal with absent medical advisors to keep the process moving forward? Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, yes, that was a general question rather than specific to this advice. I am not aware that my constituent has been advised as per the Minister’s question there. I want to preface my next question, Mr. Speaker, by saying that on the many occasions with this file I have had to contact the Minister I have received some assistance. It is just my point is I shouldn’t be having to go to the Minister so many times for help. The WSCC used to have its own legal services providing advice to claimants but has backed off this support to provide only a worker’s advisor. When its processes are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks again for that commitment. I think it would be good and I’m speaking, really, here, of the development of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy to have a specific timeline laid out for this process. I know public consultation is difficult, especially on an issue like this. It’s important to everyone. So I think that would be helpful and highlighting where and how MLAs could have early input into the process and so on. So I think that would be useful. Thank you.

Appreciation to the Minister for those comments. Obviously he’s been thinking about this. How does the Minister see this unfolding so that the public is aware of what’s going on and the process for consultation? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Elections and Plebiscites Act, and Tabled Document 4-16(5), Executive Summary of the Report of the Joint Review Panel for the Mackenzie Gas Project, and would like to report that Bill 7 is ready for third reading. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t think there’s any question that we’ll be collecting those. We’ve already had people down at the big…or the Juno awards or the Oscar awards, filmmakers down there from Yellowknife. We’re well on our way, and with the Minister’s support I have no doubt we’ll achieve that.

ITI’s annual publication -- my last question -- the economic review does not contain, currently, information on the value and activity of the arts and culture industry such as film and media production. I’d like to conclude here by asking the Minister if he will take steps to begin to collect the...

Thank you, committee. Does committee agree that Bill 7 is ready for third reading?

I appreciate that. I also appreciate that the Minister indicated that he would work hard to incorporate the findings of this review into the business plans. That’s my interest in the time frame. Obviously those draft business plans are due in just a few short months. Timelines for the inclusion are, therefore, pretty tight. Can the Minister say what schedule he has set or will be setting for the review to be completed and allow that to happen?