Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I understand that the government does not want the fiscal and financial responsibility of dredging Hay River. Let me ask the Minister… Obviously, we are at a standoff. The feds are not responding to the request of anybody from this government about the dredging of Hay River.

Who is going to stop the territorial government if they go in there and dredge? I know we don’t want to take on the fiscal responsibility. If we start dredging it, then that’s our responsibility, but legally what is stopping us from dredging that harbour?

What’s the alternative? If our government doesn’t want to take over federal responsibility, what is the alternative? Just wait for the waterways or passageways to fill in with silt?

Could the Minister, for my benefit and the benefit of our constituents, please tell me why this must be designated as a federal responsibility? Even though it traditionally was, why does it today still need to be tagged as a federal responsibility? Why can’t it be a territorial responsibility? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I feel like putting my notes aside and following with the same passion as my colleague for Hay River North, but I’m not feeling well today so I’m afraid it wouldn’t come across with as much gusto.

I’m going to tag team with my colleague here today and reiterate again that Hay River is a transportation hub right on the south shore of Great Slave Lake and at the mouth of the Hay River itself. Once upon a time, the federal government met its responsibility for dredging, but that practice was discontinued in 1994. They sold all of their equipment. Since that time no one has taken up...

We’ll proceed with general comments after a brief break.

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I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order. Colleagues, what is the wish of committee today? Ms. Bisaro.

I still don’t understand, from the Minister’s explanation, why the dredging in Hay River has to be deemed a federal responsibility. I understand it traditionally was. I understand that the federal government vacated their responsibility with response to the dredging.

Is there some legal reason why we have to call that a federal responsibility? Why can’t it be a territorial responsibility without going through some transfer or mandate and some transfer of funds? Why can’t we just take it up and say we’re going to take care of it? Why? What is the legal impediment? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am very dismayed by the answers today from the Minister of Transportation. We are hearing that this is federal responsibility, yet the Minister wrote to the federal government and got no response and there was no follow-up. This government does not seem to care about dredging in Hay River. I don’t care whose responsibility it is. Newsflash: They left 20 years ago; they’re not coming back. Somebody has to be responsible.

I don’t know why it has to stay a federal responsibility. Maybe the Minister can tell me that.

Why does it have to be a federal responsibility? Why can...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll also be speaking in support of my colleague’s point of privilege.

This is an example of the end justifying the means, and I think we should not get into the detail of why we have had to make a decision about offsetting the cost to ratepayers and addressing the cost of living. I think that’s another whole subject for another day.

We probably would have come to the same end decision. It’s only about process, that’s my concern. I mean, nobody can stand up here as a Regular Member of this Legislature and say that we would support a 24 percent hit on the ratepayers of...

I want to ask if anyone else sees a trend here. This disregard for a private sector company with years of experience and knowledge to bring to the costly and complicated science of fighting fires. This is the mindset of a government bent on increasing government while throwing out the private sector with potentially dire and irreversible consequences.

I pose the question: How does that jibe with the GNWT is open for business? The Northwest Territories is open for business investment and we travel all over the world with that message. How do these actions jibe with that? Mr. Speaker, there’s...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Standing Committee on Social Programs recommends the following courses of action:

that the Department of Health and Social Services completely rewrite the Child and Family Services Act in the 18th Assembly, with renewed emphasis on kinship care and strategies oriented toward mediation, prevention, early intervention and family preservation;

that the Department of Health and Social Services take stronger measures to keep children within their families and communities of origin, including devoting additional funding for prevention, early intervention and family...