Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that was the case exactly on the day that I asked these questions, yet no reference was made to the concession agreement having been signed, putting this government at that potential significant, greater liability should the conditions be met.

In response, in another question, the Premier states, “it’s not too late. The 16th Assembly and its mandate has not signed a deal on proceeding forward...” I’d like to ask the Premier how he could reconcile that to the fact that a concession agreement had been signed. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to quote from the Hansard, unedited Hansard of October 19th. I was questioning Premier Roland about the extent of our involvement and commitment to the Deh Cho Bridge. I asked about the point of no return, and at that time the Premier responded that “I am not prepared to sign a blank cheque.” If the Premier was not prepared on the 19th to sign a blank cheque and understanding that our level of financial commitment has now significantly changed with the signing of this concession agreement, if the conditions are met and this government wants to pull...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I bet the Premier wishes he had assigned portfolios before this morning, but we are ready to go. We are ready to get into business here. I made a promise, Mr. Speaker, to a constituent during the campaign that at the first available opportunity I would stand up in this House and raise an issue with respect to housing and seniors' housing programs. Right now, if you are fortunate enough to live in social housing as a senior over 60, you pay no rent. It is not means tested. However, if I am a senior living in my own home and I need to access a repair...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS Rule 85 has been amended to establish the 16th Legislative Assembly standing committee structure;

AND WHEREAS the new structure incorporates revisions to committee terms of reference and committee names;

AND WHEREAS the former Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight is now known as the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Frame Lake, that the appointments of the following Members to the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight be revoked and that the following Members be...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d also like to stand to speak in support of the principles and standards that are laid out in the Members' Conduct Guidelines. It’s been said in this government before and we can always remember that we need to lead by example and that we are the role models. We are under the scrutiny of all of the people we serve, the people of the Northwest Territories. We do have our private lives, but our private lives aren’t very private in the sense that people do look to us for that leadership. I’ll say I’ll coin that phrase again that we must set a high standard...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our Premier is being very helpful with this and I do appreciate this information and I’m sure the public does, as well. So right now, then, as I understand it, the only commitment that this government has is the extent of the loan guarantee, which I believe is around $5 million. We are not liable at this point in time for anything further than the loan guarantee for around $5 million on the Deh Cho Bridge project? Is it nine? Oh, it was five last time I heard it. Ever grows. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I understand it, the act is a vehicle by which this process can proceed; however, the detail of it is left open and that’s why we’re able to have discussions about, you know, can we still afford our contribution. It used to be just the cost of the ice road and the ferry and now we’re talking about perhaps another $2 million a year indexed over the next 35 years. We just need to see that. We need to know what that is, and we don’t know right now. It seems open ended. Is there a point at which our involvement in this will cause this government to say, no, stop?...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The programming for seniors is a very good program in the Northwest Territories; however, it needs to be fixed. I am not suggesting we take anything away from it. However, I am saying we create a level play field. At a high level, in terms of principle, will the Premier agree that we, as a government, should not discriminate against people on the basis of their income nor on the basis of their marital status? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, why should the Housing Corporation have first rights to the proceeds of a sale of a senior’s home who accessed a repair program and yet they would have absolutely no issue with somebody selling their house, putting the money in the bank and getting free housing? I am not trying to take that away from the people who do get that. That was a program in place. People accessed it. Good for them. That is the parameters that we set out, but it is highly discriminatory. I will tell you another thing that is highly discriminatory with our housing is that the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the past many weeks have been a very busy time, starting with the month of September, the election period, culminating with October 1st, polling day. It was a busy and exciting time as each of us had the opportunity for a very concentrated dialogue with constituents about the issues most important to them. I found that exercise to be invigorating, and a renewal and a recharging of my enthusiasm to pursue those issues. Some of what I heard was not new, but many of the suggestions and ideas about how to approach them were new and focused on issues in a...