Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier this week I had the opportunity to talk about anti-bullying and cyber-bullying and my commending the Quebec government for introducing new measures to counter bullying in schools. Questions earlier this week posed to our own Minister of Education also asked about the Northwest Territories embarking on a journey of creating better sound legislation to combat bullying. We have heard some promise, but we need these measures now.

I can’t tell you the vast number of parents, teachers and students that contacted me since my Member’s statement earlier in the week in...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member for Inuvik Boot Lake is exactly right; it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to bring this motion today to the table, it takes a bird scientist.

---Laughter

And I want to make that known.

Addictions are, no less, the breakdown of the moral fabric of our society. I don’t think anyone in this room would contradict that at all. Abuse, whether it’s the addiction to alcohol, drugs, prescribed drugs, these are not going to go any time soon. In fact, our statistics are showing that this is growing at an alarming rate. We need to think outside the box. We’ve got to look...

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. For the record, I do support the Inuvik-Tuk highway. What I’m going to be questioning here later is the process on how we get there.

Less than a year ago, the Auditor General of Canada brought forward to this House their statements or findings regarding the Department of Transportation and their handling of the Deh Cho Bridge. My question today will be around some of the findings in that study that have to do with the risk matrix. The risk matrix, Mr. Speaker, is what worst-case scenario could happen, and would have happened, and did happen, and quite frankly we know...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I sat yesterday eating my cold Valentine’s Day supper shortly after a long and grueling debate on approving appropriations for this government to commence its due diligence on the Inuvik-Tuk highway, and it hit me: the Gravina Island Bridge. What does that have to do with the Inuvik-Tuk highway, you may ask. Let me tell you.

The Gravina Island Bridge controversy started in 2006 during the campaigning of Alaskan governor hopeful, Ms. Sarah Palin. Coined as the bridge to nowhere, this behemoth project clocked at over $398 million was a proposed bridge to replace the ferry...

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.