David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to provide a few comments on Bill 10, the Heritage Act.

When I was first elected in 2003 it was one of the first issues I raised back eight years ago and I’m glad to finally see it move forward in a bill. I’m going to support Bill 10 moving forward. I think it is a move in the right direction, but it falls short of where, you know, when I envisioned a Heritage Act or a Heritage Fund, it would be more closely modeled on the permanent fund in the State of Alaska that pays a yearly dividend to each and every resident in the State of Alaska.

The Northwest...

I appreciate the Minister’s response. I know he understands the urgency in this. Obviously, there’s a great deal of urgency.

The next question I’d have for the Minister of Finance -- obviously, we are going to be headed into an election -- I’m just wondering what type of information is available on, like, a government-wide variance report or an exact fiscal picture, not only for Members of this House but potential candidates in the upcoming election, to see exactly where the territory’s finances sit on the eve of this election and into the election campaign. I think it’s important that that...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Finance and it goes back to last week when the Minister provided to the House his fiscal and economic update.

One of the things that I read in there, with great interest, was continuing the current fiscal strategy allows the Government of the Northwest Territories to move away from the debt limit while still allowing for some minimal investment to support priorities identified by the 17th Legislative Assembly. I think the financial situation for the incoming government is going to be quite tight. The first question I’d...

Thanks, Mr. Chairman. Just to reiterate some of my earlier comments on Bill 10, and I appreciate my colleague Mr. Abernethy’s take on the dividend and what it means to people, but from the way I look at it, I was looking for an opportunity for the government to set aside money that would eventually end up in the pockets of our residents so that they could help offset the high cost of living, it would help attract potential employees, and it would give the residents across the territory a sense of us all being in this together. Instead of the government hiving off 5 percent as it sees fit after...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I thank the Minister for that. What I’d be looking for is the more detail the better, a complete breakdown of the territory’s finances. I know we’re about not even halfway through this fiscal year but, like I said, a variance report, where we’re at at dissolution. I think that’s important not only for Members here but potential candidates that are out there so that everybody gets an idea of what they’re getting themselves into. Thank you.

As we all know, we’re very close to that borrowing limit of $575 million. We have a number of capital projects on the horizon. We’ve just had a briefing at lunch time on the Tuk-Inuvik highway and our portion that we’ll have to come up with for that. There’s the Stanton Hospital here in Yellowknife and the upgrades for that. We can’t afford to wait much longer to get a reply or an answer from the federal government.

We’ve been talking about the borrowing limit and these negotiations now for about nine months, maybe even 12 months. I’d like to ask the Minister if they can put the pressure on the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to lend my comments to my colleagues that have spoken in favour of Bill 16. I am very supportive of the amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act going forward through Bill 16 that would address texting and cell phone use in vehicles. I think it’s a big issue out there for public safety, and as technology improves, these phones are used for much more than just phoning and texting. You know, you can get on the Internet, those smartphones and things like that, and driving around, I mean, you can see it, and oftentimes I find myself having to pull over on the...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure met on August 16, 2011, to review Bill 15, An Act to Amend the Deh Cho Bridge Act. Following the public hearing and clause-by-clause review, a motion was carried to report to the Assembly that Bill 15 is ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole. This concludes the committee’s general comments on Bill 15. Individual Members may have additional questions or comments as we proceed. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I agree with the Minister; it is a municipal concern, but what I’m saying is the Government of the Northwest Territories has to pay attention. If there is a catastrophic sewer line break or a water line break, it is going to be our problem, Mr. Speaker, in a big way. We have to be out in front of this. We have to try to be coordinating efforts between the city and the federal government to come up with a solution. Again, I think if we don’t do that and we just try to let them sort it out... We need to be doing that.

I would like to ask the Minister for a commitment to...

I appreciate the Minister’s response. I would like to ask the Minister when was the last time the department, MACA, government officials from the Government of the Northwest Territories sat down with municipal officials and the federal government to try to come up with a solution with what’s happening at Northland. Thank you.