Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I agree this is complex and there’s a complexity to this that can’t be addressed in this format, but this Minister is not coming forward with discussions on revenue generation. We’re not having any of that. There’s no analysis being done. To do analysis requires an unbelievable effort on part of committee. Currently there is no tax levy on natural gas and propane in the NWT. The Mackenzie Valley Pipeline, had it gone ahead, would have been powered on natural gas without a penny of tax collected by this government, and this situation, this...

Thanks again to the Minister. On May 6, 2011, the Minister temporarily suspended the successful but understaffed Midwifery Program in Yellowknife, Ndilo and Detah. Rather than choosing to staff the program appropriately, the Minister of the day simply suspended the program, leaving half of our residents in the Northwest Territories with no Midwifery Program at all. After four years, this suspension seems to have become a permanent cancellation.

When will the Minister fulfill the promise and reinstate, in an improved format, the highly valued and much missed Midwifery Program for Yellowknife...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services today. During the last session I asked questions about the rollout of the Midwifery Program. At that time the Minister indicated that two positions in Hay River were filled and going live in early 2015, which I understand has happened, and the department was actively recruiting to refill a midwife position in Fort Smith. So my first question is about Fort Smith.

Can we get an update on whether that long-vacant position in Fort Smith has been filled? Mahsi.

Thanks to the Premier. I really don’t have any more questions. I’m not suggesting that that’s an easy one to make progress on. I’ve got almost a lifetime of experience watching the difficult issues trying to be resolved, and yet, unsuccessfully. I think it’s good every once in a while to have that discussion and see where we’re at and see if there’s anything else we can do. I’ll leave it at that. Thank you.

HON. BOB MCLEOD:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A mining advisory board to “provide advice to government to ensure mining regulation is in place that encourages economic growth while maintaining high regulatory, environmental and social standards.” To quote the Minister of ITI’s press release seems a worthwhile exercise. However, digging deeper, I find that the board will be comprised of only ministerially appointed people with “direct experience in the NWT minerals industry.”

The Mineral Development Strategy itself was developed by an industry panel. The Minister three times chose to ignore public interest policy...

I don’t believe that that is so, and that was said, of course, for eons about consulting with Aboriginal people. Fortunately, there’s good law for Aboriginal people and we are now finally responding in a responsible way to capture the input of Aboriginal residents. Unfortunately, we don’t have that same law, although we have the same obligation for those who are not Aboriginal residents.

So, would the Premier take this on to establish a division or some equivalent mechanism to ensure that we do, in fact, fulfill our moral obligations in the absence of a law to consult with the residents of the...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a couple of questions, but first really a general comment in response to the Premier’s remarks. I notice the establishment of a new Aboriginal consultation and relations division. Overall, I think we’ve been doing pretty good in that area. Where I see us falling down is consulting with the rest of the residents of the Northwest Territories. Can we expect that there will be a division established to finally bring that up to standard as well?

Yes, somehow that’s not fitting with my perception of the numbers here. I appreciate that explanation. It looks like the Minister is on it. I’m talking about the jump from ‘13-14 about $5.5 million to about $8.5 million nowadays. I’m looking for an explanation of the increase. It hasn’t been through compensation and benefits and renewed contract with employees and so on. Thank you.

Thanks for the response from the Minister and his deputy. It is concerning. I mean, the Minister knows, and staff I’m sure, in several cases or many cases where this has been raised, we have worked with individuals. Staff have helped the individuals tune up their applications and so on, but in every case there’s still no resolution. So I hope, as you do that internal look, that you will contact people that have had this experience and they’re maybe on record as appealing, or perhaps ask MLAs to suggest constituents names that have been through this if there’s not a privacy of information...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to go on record as supporting the principle of the bill and I appreciate that the Minister has been working hard to consult with the public. However, I have had some feedback that indicates some Aboriginal governments are still a little bit surprised at how rapidly this is advancing. I know the Minister has been meeting with those governments and I think that’s being resolved, but I did want to mention there was some serious concern that hadn’t been resolved. I look forward to, if we give second reading today, that we enter into a process where much of that...