Kevin A. Menicoche

Mr. Speaker, as a Member of the Legislative Assembly, I wholeheartedly think the communities know what is best for the communities. When it comes to recruitment and selection of staff, the same principle applies. That is why I feel small and remote communities should be able to directly participate in the recruitment and selection processes for jobs in their community.

The communities have raised these concerns because their residents are being alienated from local government jobs. They are wondering why, time and time again, local northern and aboriginal staff is being screened out and why...

Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight met on May 2, 2006, to review the 2004-2005 Annual Report of the Languages Commissioner. The Committee would like to thank Ms. Shannon Gullberg, the Languages Commissioner, for appearing before us.

The 2004-2005 report does not include any recommendations, however, the committee would like to take the opportunity to comment on other issues that were raised during our public meeting.

I beg your pardon, Mr. Speaker. It’s the next item.

Mr. Speaker, mahsi cho. Mr. Speaker, there are only a few issues that most rural MLAs raise session after session and that is permanent nursing and policing in the communities. For some communities these issues can be approached individually or making it easier to pursue. For the community of Wrigley these services and commitments are very much connected. This government has indicated that until the police are stationed in Wrigley, Health and Social Services will not station a permanent nurse there. I find this response and approach to be unacceptable. Why is the community of Wrigley...

Mr. Speaker, mahsi cho. Mr. Speaker, there are only a few issues that most rural MLAs raise session after session and that is permanent nursing and policing in the communities. For some communities these issues can be approached individually or making it easier to pursue. For the community of Wrigley these services and commitments are very much connected. This government has indicated that until the police are stationed in Wrigley, Health and Social Services will not station a permanent nurse there. I find this response and approach to be unacceptable. Why is the community of Wrigley...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker and honourable colleagues. Will this government stop increasing our bureaucratic responses and start doing our best for our people? Will this government take their own ideas and follow through on them? Wrigley’s needs are everybody’s needs, Mr. Speaker: simple community-based health and policing services. Mahsi cho.

---Applause

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker and honourable colleagues. Will this government stop increasing our bureaucratic responses and start doing our best for our people? Will this government take their own ideas and follow through on them? Wrigley’s needs are everybody’s needs, Mr. Speaker: simple community-based health and policing services. Mahsi cho.

---Applause

Thank you very much there, Mr. Speaker. I’ve got some questions for the Minister of Transportation with regard to the ferry situation in the Nahendeh. Recently, our operations have been curtailed, particularly in Fort Simpson we’re running a 12-hour day as opposed to, like, an 18-hour day as it was last year. As well, there was a very late start in getting the Wrigley ferry operational. If it had happened to the one at Fort Providence it would have been completely unacceptable to Yellowknife residents. I say it is unacceptable to Nahendeh residents to have this kind of operations being...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, firstly I would like to welcome all the Members back to the Legislative Assembly for this spring session. Spring is here and the buzz is in the air in Nahendeh, and the buzz is not that spring came early, but it’s about the recent announcement the Premier made regarding $50 million for the extension of the highway along the Ingraham Trail. More and more I’m hearing it being referred to as Joe’s highway.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, I’m not against infrastructure enhancement or expansion in other regions of the Northwest Territories. Regional and community...

Thank you very much there, Mr. Speaker. I’ve got some questions for the Minister of Transportation with regard to the ferry situation in the Nahendeh. Recently, our operations have been curtailed, particularly in Fort Simpson we’re running a 12-hour day as opposed to, like, an 18-hour day as it was last year. As well, there was a very late start in getting the Wrigley ferry operational. If it had happened to the one at Fort Providence it would have been completely unacceptable to Yellowknife residents. I say it is unacceptable to Nahendeh residents to have this kind of operations being...