Bob Bromley

That sounds good, Madam Chair. I would be happy to provide the Minister with some examples. I’m sure he’s aware of them, but I’ll refresh his memory for people who are not able to get into facilities because of an income barrier. I will leave it at that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was following and supporting the Finance Minister’s report on the fiscal situation we are leaving for the 18th Assembly, noting the volatility of the global economy, the mining industry and our economy; low revenues; and the need to diversify. That is, until he suddenly and illogically looped back to saying that, therefore, we have to pursue the highly volatile and uncertain extractive industry even harder.

People are drained of any remnant of enthusiasm for this old way of thinking and they pine for recognition of the real opportunities we do have for vibrant...

I think the Minister can see that there is a huge gap in the capital where we’ve known for years that the rate of increase is much higher than anywhere else in the Northwest Territories. I appreciate the commitments I am hearing him make to the extent that he can for trying to get after those, but even this 18-bed facility on anywhere near a comparative basis leaves Yellowknife in the dust. I would recommend that the department sit down and start bringing some fairness to this equation and start thinking on the scale that the data clearly shows is required. That’s a comment.

Thanks to the Minister. Agricultural policy is important to the future of sustainable local economies and food security for the communities in the North. If our people are to achieve the optimum level of self-sufficiency, the Economic Strategy must contain a comprehensive agricultural policy.

Is this promised agricultural policy a priority for this government given we are just hearing What We Heard and not a policy or is this another case of this government paying lip service to the sustainable localized economic development communities require while pursuing fossil fuel which should remain in...

Thank you. I have no more questions. I have no problems with the briefing laid out by the Minister there and I’ll look forward to that information. Mahsi.

Thank you very much for that comprehensive response. I think there’s a good record in Hansard for constituents who may be interested.

Would this work be proposed to come forward as a supp since it’s not in this capital plan?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for Minister Ramsay today. I scanned the list of documents to be tabled this session, but I was disappointed not to see the promised Agriculture Strategy listed. We haven’t even had a whiff of a draft, in spite of it being promised by the end of this summer, long past.

This strategy, an intended action plan, has been called for by the citizens of the Northwest Territories for decades. With only days effectively left to deal with this, can the Minister tell me when we can expect to see a draft of this long-awaited strategy? Mahsi.

Thanks to the Minister. I intend no slur with NorthwestTel, but obviously they will have that possibility, that potential. This is the proverbial captive audience. That is why I am saying it seems clear there is a need to provide some support to communities to consider and assess alternatives and make sure they are able to pick out the best ones and also that they have some expertise to draw on to make sure that they’re not being taken advantage of as a captive audience in our valley communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just want to express my support for that decision and that plan. It’s particularly become more critical that governments such as ours step into the major gaps left by the federal government pulling out of science and with our recent devolution, I think this is a totally logical step. In my view, it will only become more important. The mid-tundra is quite different than the High Arctic research situation, and as the world starts to express the change that’s coming upon us, this could be an important facility to help us understand that with these partners that the deputy...

Mr. Speaker, for some time many have warned that the crisis of too few available beds at the Aven Centre here in Yellowknife is coming fast. I rise yet again to remind us all that this catastrophe is not only looming, it’s here. We must address the shortfall promptly.

The problem has been studied to death by all concerned, who say with one voice, “We need more beds.” With a 200 percent growth in Yellowknife seniors over the next 16 years and a 125 percent increase across the NWT, we need several hundred new beds territory-wide. Yet, time is passing with little apparent progress.

We still do not...