Kevin A. Menicoche

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. This whole budgeting cycle, committee on this side worked really hard with Cabinet to institute some funding. We made our impact on the budget. Often this side, when we get some wins, like in particular this time we got I think here in Health and Social Services overall I think we got, that was not previously authorized, $1.267 million and it was hoped that we’d have a nice, good dialogue about how to allocate these resources. I think the feeling on this side is that government, in its infinite wisdom, is saying okay, there’s extra money so we’re going to...

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I think this money… I think it’s a huge opportunity to expand the guidelines and parameters around communities accessing it. I think some of the concerns I heard from the fire department in Fort Simpson that usually access this fund is that the parameters are so strict that they couldn’t find a way to utilize it. They did manage to utilize it, Madam Chair, but as we go forward with the parameters, they’re so tight that the next year they have to pretty much apply for the same program and the department says, well, you already used that for that guideline...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I think that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission does deserve to be recognized for their truly incredible amount of hard work here in the Northwest Territories. There is a lot to do yet. I’m excited that we can stand in this House, have a presentation with them and to commend them for their hard work.

I know that as I travel to the communities in the North, especially to my communities in the Nahendeh, that people were excited to see them and I think the excitement was about a chance to be heard and for their stories to be heard. Their role is like ours as...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that we report progress.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. The committee wishes to consider Tabled Document 19-17(3), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 1, 2012-2013. Thankyou.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll be speaking about fruits, but fruits of labour, Mr. Speaker. The long service awards are being held in the Deh Cho region, most particularly in Fort Simpson today. I, too, would like to offer my congratulations to the employees of the Government of the Northwest Territories who will be honoured for their dedication and commitment to our public service.

The celebration this afternoon in Fort Simpson, which I attended last year, is always good for employers to recognize our hardworking employees, and especially those that have very long service awards. There are 70...

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I made a mistake. I move that consideration of Tabled Document 19-17(3), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 1, 2012-2013, be now concluded and that Tabled Document 19-17(3) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of appropriation bill. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. When it comes to capital expenditures and something of this nature, it’s always a great concern to myself and some of the committees that I sit on. It seems pretty significant, $105 million of carry-over. We often don’t like to see this. We like to see our capital investment expended in the year that we have, especially when it comes to constituencies and getting these monies expended.

Most particularly, there is some carry-over money for Highway No. 7. I would certainly have liked to have seen that done last year, but I’m pleased to see that it’s just a little bit of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I stand here and regret that I cannot support a motion of this type. I know that I am not really convinced that this is a right time to have an ombudsman office. As well, I think my biggest concern is I was in the Yukon and the ombudsman office got initiated I think some seven years ago at a cost of around $9 million annually to the government. I don’t think that we can do that right now. The other consideration, as well, is I believe that such a territorial office will be located in Yellowknife again. It is nothing that I can certainly support when it comes to that...

Madam Chair, I move that we report progress.

---Carried