Joe Handley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank the Member for the question. I was beginning to feel like the Maytag repairman.

---Laughter

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased to recognize my wife of many years.

---Laughter

During the next couple of weeks while we’re busy here she’s pretty much a bachelorette, I guess it is, out at Prelude. Thank you.

---Laughter

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you and all Members back to this Assembly after a busy and productive summer. I would also like to welcome Mr. Jackson Lafferty to this Legislative Assembly and wish him the very best as he represents the newly named constituency of Monfwi.

---Applause

Many Members of this Legislative Assembly spent the summer in our communities meeting with local councils, organizations and residents or attending summer assemblies and meetings. Of course, the highlight of the summer was the ceremony held in Behchoko on August 4th establishing the...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to recognize a former Member of this Legislative Assembly, James Rabesca.

---Applause

James is a strong supporter of the Dogrib language. He does a lot of work as an interpreter and I saw him working hard and heard him working hard in the booth here today. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, on June 21st, Canadians will celebrate National Aboriginal Day.

---Applause

This day is recognized across our country as an opportunity to acknowledge and pay tribute to aboriginal culture, language and heritage in Canada.

As Members are aware, in 2002 the Northwest Territories took the additional step of establishing National Aboriginal Day as a statutory holiday and we remain the only jurisdiction in this country to do so.

---Applause

Madam Speaker, we took this step to further recognize the culture, languages and heritage of the Dene, Inuvialuit and...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. There is no need for a mediation process. It’s working effectively now. To my understanding, all the parties are working in accordance with the agreements that we have and I’m optimistic, in fact I’m fairly certain that there will be an agreement of how to accommodate everyone’s needs; the needs of the Yellowknives Dene and their rights to land, as well as the needs of the city.

Madam Speaker, I might add that even though the city has prepared and had approval of a general plan, I don’t know of them ever asking for residential land. I wouldn’t want people to believe...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I’m honoured today to welcome to our Legislative Assembly the Consul General of Indonesia, Bunyan Saptomo…

---Applause

…and Consul for Consul Affairs for Indonesia, Bebeb Djundjunan.

---Applause

Madam Speaker, they’re accompanied today by our protocol and communications officer, Carmen Moore, and summer student working with Ms. Moore, Anne Marie Summerfield.

---Applause

Madam Speaker, I’d also like to recognize my loyal constituent, Major Karen Hoeft.

---Applause

Thank you, Madam Speaker. That’s a bit of a different question, Madam Speaker. Rather than get into the detail of what we are doing in the taxation area, I think the question deals with a whole list of things that have been included in our first budget and in the last budget. Madam Speaker, taxation and tax benefits are one piece of it. Our government did make changes, the last government, the 14th Assembly, to the way personal income tax is handled. I think that was beneficial to everyone. We have increased the cost of living allowance. We’ve made those kinds of changes.

Madam Speaker...

Madam Speaker, I wouldn’t want the public to believe that somehow the city is doing an in-fill study, if that’s what it’s called -- and I’m not familiar with the detail of it -- because they can’t get any land for residential development. The fact is they have not applied to us for more residential land. I believe the in-fill study they’re doing is simply a study they’re doing as part of their planning for the city and that’s something that’s totally within the mandate of the city. It’s something we wouldn’t get involved in. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. There is a process, an agreed to process, for dealing with transfer of land between the Government of the Northwest Territories, the City of Yellowknife, and there’s also an interim measures agreement with the Yellowknives Dene on how we will do that; the Akaitcho, sorry, more than the Yellowknives Dene. That is managed through the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and, Madam Speaker, I believe that Municipal and Community Affairs along with Aboriginal Affairs are working very effectively and cooperatively with both the city and with the Yellowknives Dene...