David Ramsay

Good afternoon. Does the committee agree to go clause by clause?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted that clarified by the Minister because it would seem, even though it doesn’t deal with marriages per se, but just from a sheer optics point of view or a natural process point of view you would think that we would get some certainty on the definition of marriage and then proceed from there. But again, I do support Bill 17, but I just wondered on the process a little bit. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a few questions with regard to budgeting for fuel prices. I am a bit concerned about this for a number of reasons. The figure just on increases alone in this supp is $2.22 million and that’s just on increases. If that is just on increases alone, does the Minister of FMB have any idea of what the government spends on an annual basis in terms of fuel? How is this budgeted for in the document that we just approved yesterday? What do they base their assumptions on? Is it the gas prices a year ago? How do they do that? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to present a petition dealing with the matter of addiction treatment centres in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, the petition contains 98 signatures of inmates at the North Slave Correctional Centre. Mr. Speaker, the petitioners request that treatment centres be opened in the Northwest Territories to help support the rehabilitation of the growing number of addicts. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Thank you. Clause 5 has been amended.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I would like to thank the Minister for that. I wouldn’t want to think that it was somewhere else. The Minister knows where I am thinking of too. I think that is probably about all I had, Madam Chair. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If the Minister is mentioning the fact that there’s counselling that’s taking place now between staff and inmates and they’re trying to find out problems and why the inmates are in prison, maybe the Minister could give us some type of idea of what the numbers are. North Slave Correctional Centre, for example, of inmates that are in there because of addictions problems. If this work is being done, the Minister should know that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Mr. Menicoche.