Floyd Roland

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is, within Executive, the whole sending out through the Messenger falls through the Department of Executive. My understanding is when that came across -- and I am just going from the note that was forwarded to me -- the question was asked for more thoughts on this matter. So that discussion I’m not aware has taken place yet. The government, overall, should have a discussion about what appropriate message should be sent. I recall in the past being requested to put some things from other groups on that Messenger service and they’ve been disallowed on...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the 16th Legislative Assembly, we’ve already started, I think, a cooperative arrangement. We’ve gone forward, a meeting already has been held on this issue. A decision has not been made by Cabinet. I am prepared to sit down with Members again. As I already laid out, the interim appropriation, the business planning, no decisions have been made in that area. We have to set the priorities, but we are going to have to work within a fiscal environment that is going to squeeze us in a number of areas. Infrastructure is going to be one of those large...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know the Member would probably be happy to say it was I that said not to release it, but I have just been made aware of it by a note being sent over to me. So I am unaware who made that decision. It is something that we would have to look at. Thank you.

Cabinet has not made a decision on a priority list that we’re prepared to present to the federal government. We’ve had discussions within departments and, as I’ve laid out, we’ve worked from the information we have available and that’s public to date. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we would be prepared to put our information out there. Our fiscal position, the infrastructure piece of it would be part of that as well as all instruments that we have within our authority. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we have done in the past, or the process that we can use going forward is, for example, around the business plan areas, having a number of Ministers present to the committees. The Social Programs committee can be one of those when we talk about this initiative that affects a number of departments and look at doing in that area, as well if there’s a request from any committee of any initiative that we would line up the appropriate Ministers or myself, as Premier, to make presentations with committees. So we’d be prepared to work out an arrangement....

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have not had discussions on the area of a military presence in the Northwest Territories and where they would be located. We know there is an increased presence. For example, the Forward Operation Location in Inuvik has been busier this last fall and winter than it has in the last number of years. So they have stepped up some of their work and their presence in the Arctic already. We haven’t had any direct discussions about a further enhancement of that area. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the problems we find is we have to look at some of the avenues that have been used by previous governments and if they’ve actually produced a result. Our goal would be how can we deal with this. Right now each department would have to come forward and make the reports to committee at business plan stages as well as in this forum. We can work as a Cabinet to look at a number of initiatives that may help in the long term, or try to find some short-term solutions. A lot of the problems we find, and as the Member has raised, is the cost of living...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we, as the 16th Assembly, haven’t had opportunity to come up with a proposal as of yet. There is some ongoing work on how we can strengthen our position, what are the key pieces we would like to present as being what we would call solutions to the issue of Arctic sovereignty. A solution is that we are here and we can help the federal government in that area. So we don’t have a proposal yet. There are meetings coming up within the new year that can help us along this way and further discussions about what avenues might be available to us. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would be prepared to try to arrange a meeting with the Member and his community leaders when we can find some time; probably early in the new year at some point, but I would be prepared to set some time up with the Member and go into his community. Thank you.