Jane Groenewegen

Thanks, Mr. Chairman. Yes, I had heard that there were some contractors, rather small contractors, local contractors, that there maybe was an issue with the cash flow on the project and some people who weren’t getting paid. I was just wondering if any of that has been brought to Minister McLeod’s attention. He is the MLA for that area. I was wondering if there were any financial problems being encountered with the drawdown and disbursement of funds to subcontractors. Thank you.

The very thing that makes this a timely discussion is also something quite unprecedented. We’ve just gone through the highest price per barrel of crude oil in history and this necessarily affects production of energy in the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, has the government looked at how the increases in the cost of energy here in the Northwest Territories compare with the kinds of increases that have been experienced by Canadians in other jurisdictions? Thank you.

To the review of the Power Corporation and its operations, essentially the Power Corporation gets audited every time they go to the PUB for general rate applications. So we just have been through a GRA; we have just been through a general rate application. I wasn’t there. I don’t know all the ins and outs of the kinds of costs that go into the rates that are set, the kind of return on investment. Were we there at the general rate application proceedings as the Government of the Northwest Territories observing those proceedings? Did we learn anything from that? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The analogy that the Premier goes on about extensively is a good analogy. That’s why I think there should be a sequence and order to these reviews. If the NTPC is a delivery vehicle for power to people in the Northwest Territories, let’s review that first before we put the ad in the bargain finder and start trying to figure out how much we’re going to sell the Power Corporation for.

Mr. Speaker, if the review of NTPC were to indicate that there is a more cost-effective and a better, more efficient way of having the Power Corporation operate which would have a positive impact on the rates that people pay in the communities, would that not necessarily impact whether or not we would actually want to entertain the ATCO proposal? I don’t really know all the reasons for entertaining the ATCO proposal, but it seems that the information from one review will have an effect on the necessity of the next one, so I would think it would be wise not to have all of these running...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to speak about some of the reviews that are taking place, which I’m sure people in the public have heard about and are probably becoming thoroughly confused about. I’m having trouble keeping track of them all myself and in the order in which they’re being undertaken.

We know there is an announced review of the ATCO proposal, the unsolicited proposal that came to the Premier’s desk, and it’s being undertaken by the GNWT with a team of senior managers and with the assistance of a former employee of the Auditor General’s office. No terms of reference have...

Are you going to dismiss the people?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The wish of the committee today is to deal with Committee Report 3-16(3), Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures Report on the Use of Laptop Computers and Blackberry Devices in the Legislative Assembly. And then after that to continue on with consideration of the budget for the NWT Housing Corporation and the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, time permitting.

We all know that too many priorities is no priority. Certainly there will be a time when constitutional development will be timely and it will be appropriate to discuss that. Was there a motion or any resolution passed at the Dene Nation this week with regard to constitutional development?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The issue of constitutional development is certainly a huge issue. It has been briefly mentioned in some of the discussions with the results of the fallout from the Board Reform Initiative, but I must say that I’m extremely surprised to hear the Premier’s comments on this today. I’d like to ask the Premier if this is something that’s been discussed around the Cabinet table. Embarking on a full-fledged constitutional reform?