Kevin O'Reilly

Thank you, Mr. Chair. $672,000 for a new Mineral Resources Act sounds like a lot of money. Can the Minister or his staff explain what that is really for? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. That is a good sales pitch. I almost want to buy a plane, but if there is some way to move that date up as quickly as possible, because it is getting to be fire season right now. I am sure different jurisdictions are trying to make sure they have everything they need in place, so the quicker we can arrange a tender process, the better, in terms of trying to sell these things while the fire season is still hot. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. No. I would like to conclude, though, if I could. I want to thank the Minister for trying to convince me, and it was a nice try. I just want to be very clear: I am not opposed to the marine transportation system operating as a GNWT entity, and I support our government doing that, resupplying our remote communities.

If anybody wants to try to say that I am against MTS, that is not the case. To be very clear, I am opposed to this bill for the way that it is being set up internally, the accounting that is going to be done for it. I am also concerned with the process that has...

Merci, Monsieur le President. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that Bill 30, Health Statutes Amendment Act (Cremation Services), be read for the first time. Merci, Monsieur le President.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I think I heard that it would preclude the use of the funds directly, and I hate to put our law clerk on the hot seat here, but I guess I would like to get an outside opinion on whether any of the funds in the revolving fund could actually be used for remediation of contaminated sites? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Merci, Monsieur le President and, once again, thank you to the Minister for that response. Next year, I will be a senior citizen, but let's not get too excited. In the longer term, the federal government seems poised to finally get back into housing. The Minister is going to meet with her federal counterpart next week, and I commend her for taking that action. What can we accomplish with the federal government's support to better address the issue of housing affordability for the residents of Northlands and, indeed, all our citizens across the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I understand it would be possible to track the funds in and out separately, and that is good to know. What sort of oversight will the Regular MLAs have if this continues to operate as a revolving fund? Is it going to be separately reported in the main estimates? Are we only going to see it in the public accounts? What sort of oversight is there for Regular MLAs if this is set up as a revolving fund? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I am not trying to give the Minister free advertising here, but this is good. I am sure that the website is going to be improved, for the Housing Corporation, as well. I have commended the Minister in my statement today about the good effort on the housing survey, and she has already started to announce some plans for improvement of programs and services. Can she tell me whether any of these new programs and services will be of assistance to residents in Northlands?

Thanks, Mr. Chair. That is a concern of mine. It is the process as well, then, as to who was consulted in preparation of the bill, and I think it would have been more helpful if there had been opportunities for the public to express some views on this, but I understand the department is in a rush to get this done. Can someone tell me whether this is a requirement for the operation of MTS, or is this just the preferred option for the department? MTS could go off and continue to operate, but this revolving fund is not a requirement for the operations? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I, too, would like to recognize a constituent, Yvonne Quick, who is here on behalf of the Yellowknife Seniors' Society today. I also want to recognize her years of volunteer work on behalf of the Northern Frontier Visitors' Association. Merci, Mr. Speaker.