David Ramsay

Mr. Speaker, I’ve been looking for a sure sign of spring and I’d like to recognize our local golf professional, Mr. Gord Brayton, back to Yellowknife and to the House today. Welcome.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to speak today about the state of consensus government in our Territory. Yesterday we witnessed hundreds of people coming here to demonstrate against Cabinet’s proposed Board Reform Initiative. A few weeks back we again had the gallery full with seniors and others opposed to the proposed changes to supplementary health benefits. These two issues and the way in which this government has conducted themselves speaks volumes about what is wrong with consensus government.

In the ranks of the Regular Members we have got to come to work every day and seek consensus...

I just got a note from one of the Social Programs committee members and they’ve got a written update from ECE suggesting there are still some problems there. I know the two reviews are different.

I just wanted to say -- and I promised I wouldn’t use my 10 minutes but I’m coming close -- but the fact remains, I just want to give the Minister and the Housing Corporation some kudos. There’s been a lot of good work done in the time I’ve been here, in the Housing Corporation. I think the management has done a good job to turn things around. We are, I believe, headed in the right direction when it...

I just wanted to put that out there. I don’t know if it would be a better way, but there has to be some way or avenue that the Housing Corporation could go down that would allow it to collect more in terms of arrears.

Another thing, too, while I have the floor and I won’t take the full 10 minutes, but the social housing in ECE is still an issue. I just got another phone call today from someone who is in big arrears to Housing or through ECE now. The issue is with ECE. It was never an issue before. The issue, as I see it, is through ECE. Regular Members have asked time and time again, revisit...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I move that Committee Motion 5-16(3) be amended by adding the words “and laptop computers” after the word “BlackBerries”.

And further, that the second paragraph be deleted.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My reading of the motion isn’t that something different. I would like to propose an amendment. I think after the use of BlackBerries, maybe we could include “and laptops” and take out that last paragraph. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am going to support the motion because it’s for a trial session only and there are other motions here that I will speak to later in regard to laptop usage in committee meetings. My own view on this is because the advent of technology and the BlackBerry-type devices in Committee of the Whole can and should be used by Members to receive e-mails and maybe keep us in the House instead of going back to our offices to check our e-mail. To me, that’s the most important aspect of it. If it ever did come down to a vote, and I think it’s something we should try and I will...

I don’t know if that necessarily answered my question. I think the Premier is right in one regard. When you do have strong personalities in a system like we have today, just because we have the system today doesn’t make it right. But if you have seven individuals on that side of the House and you’ve got two or three Members that pretty much run the show and others aren’t allowed to express their opinions or speak their mind, that causes problems. Like I said earlier, we want to be able to work together. When we go to P and P in the morning every Member is allowed to speak their mind. When we...

Finally...and say something about board reform. Like I said earlier to the Minister of Education, if they’re not going to protect the institutions that are out there, the parents, the families, the children, the sick, the infirm, somebody has to do it. If they’re not going to do it, who is? The only Minister earlier today that made a Minister’s statement that said they supported the Board Reform Initiative was Minister McLeod, the Minister of the Housing Corporation. I didn’t hear the Minister of Health and Social Services say she supported it. I didn’t hear the Minister of Education, Culture...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The last question for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I am wondering if, as the Minister of Education, he has heard from any school board, DEA, or educator across this Territory that is in support of the current initiative underway by this government. Thank you.