Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank our colleagues for allowing us to stand here today. These are the first steps towards what I refer to as proper legislation. We have to start with the measures first. This is why the motion is on the floor today.

As indicated earlier with my Members here, the idea to create, and formulate and coordinate all the needed measures that go against all the inter-department boundaries that this motion will have to touch on, it takes a coordinated effort to get to the proper legislation in the future.

We need this government to denounce bullying. By this motion and by...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave notice of earlier today.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister for going on record that we do have a Mental Health Strategy in the works. My final question will always be that proverbial question: When can we see this on the floor? Thank you.

I appreciate the Minister for indicating about the community counselling programs we have there, but the question to the Minister is: These counsel programs, are they really specialized to deal with bullying in nature? Bullying is a separate condition I think in cases that because of the repeated and constant repeating and violations that these people and victims have to go through. Are our community-based counselling programs equipped to deal with this type of issue?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to welcome the students here from N.J. Macpherson and thank you. You, too, look awesome in your pink today.

I’ve got some residents here from Range Lake I’d like to recognize here in the gallery. I’ve got Aidan Drew… No? How about Zach Smith? My good swimming buddy Mr. Liam Philipp. Mackenzie Pariseau, Destiny Hobbs-Stewart, Kealan Harper and Meadow Munroe. Thank you, students, for coming out today.

I have one more resident here from Range Lake who is no stranger to this House, Ms. Sandy Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank my colleagues here today in support of this motion who spoke. I’d like to take a moment to thank the Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro, for coordinating a concerted effort with our students out there at N.J. Macpherson, and I appreciate her doing so. I’d also like to thank the seconder of this motion, my esteemed colleague from the Sahtu. As a new Member, I’m getting to know and learn his genre of music. We’ve gone from country to R and B and now to hard rock. We are not going to take this anymore. I’m looking forward to what he is going to choose for...

Thank you, colleagues. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS bullying includes a range of repeated, intentional or hurtful behaviours such as threats, name calling, physical abuse, physical violence, shunning, shunning and excluding, stealing or breaking of person’s things and coercing people to do things they do not want to do;

AND WHEREAS in recent years, the use of social media and other information and communication technologies to bullying, also known as cyber-bullying, has become increasingly problematic;

AND WHEREAS people who are subjected to bullying may experience a range of harmful...

Thank you. I do appreciate the Minister’s comment regarding the partnering, but again, risk matrix is more than just a partner. There are a lot of elements behind it and I’m sure the Minister is aware of that. So having said that, do we have any preliminary findings of a risk matrix that can be shared with the people of the Northwest Territories as it pertains to this new project that is on the floor? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize Mr. Tony Whitford, but for one more accolade. He’s actually a gifted auctioneer and on behalf of the Yellowknife Community Foundation he’s raised thousands of dollars this past weekend for a lot of needy people and a lot of needy organizations around Yellowknife and the surrounding area.

Thank you. Again I thank the Minister for his comments, but at what point can we expect to have a full risk matrix for the Inuvik-Tuk highway and will this critical piece, which is an important piece I think for the Members and the people of the Northwest Territories to have, will we get this information and will it be available before we get past that point of no return when it comes to proper funding?