Jane Groenewegen

Good statement.

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Mr. Speaker, I do not believe the department can save $400,000. It is not free to look after remand inmates in Yellowknife versus Hay River. You have to include the human resource costs too. It’s not just the cost of transportation. Before we were talking about a 10 percent variance on $18,000, now we are talking about maybe it’s $300,000, or maybe it’s $400,000. You know, this decision to restructure Justice has been premised on a certain amount of cost savings and if that is not the cost savings, then the decision should be reconsidered. Does the Minister agree? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to extend question period.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So based on historical information of the number of remand clients that are now located in Hay River, the Minister is telling me that 70 percent of the cost of transportation does not exceed $18,000, based on historical use of that service. Thank you. Mr. Speaker.

The Standing Committee on Governance and Economic Development met with the Minister of Transportation and his staff on January 17, 2005, to review the Department of Transportation’s draft main estimates for 2005-2006.

The Department of Transportation’s mandate is to provide for the safe, accessible and reliable movement of people and goods throughout the Northwest Territories.

The Deh Cho Bridge is being built through a public/private partnership arrangement between the GNWT and the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation. The Deh Cho Bridge Corporation will raise the capital, design, build, operate and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister is absolutely right. He cannot predict, but I think it is very interesting that information that came from his department indicates that the Department of Justice does not anticipate any increase in crime as a result of the pipeline or any major resource development.

Mr. Speaker, I don’t know which newspaper the Minister reads or which news broadcast he listens to, and I would like to suggest to you that he may not have a crystal ball, but I don’t think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out there is going to be a greater demand on our...

Thank you. Is the committee agreed?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Justice. Mr. Speaker, it seems like this entire decision, with respect to the justice system, has all been based on cost savings. I have to say again today, Mr. Speaker, I do not believe those numbers. The $400,000; how that number was arrived at and how it was calculated is just not sound math or calculation in my opinion.

Mr. Speaker, I want an in-depth analysis of how much this is actually going to save. Because that is what we have narrowed it down to. This is only about saving money, this is not about fairness or...

I call Committee of the Whole to order. We have a number of items on the agenda before us today. What is the wish of the committee? Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe that over building infrastructure in Yellowknife should not constitute losses in the regions and other communities.