Kevin O'Reilly

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am looking at page 326. I'm at the top, program details. Consumer affairs is listed at $150,000. Last week, I raised in the House concerns around our weak Consumer Protection Act, and I was pleased to hear the Minister say that there was supposed to be some sort of a plain language brochure that goes out soon to help consumers understand what their rights are under the existing legislation.

When was the last time there was any change or increase to the consumer affairs line in the MACA budget? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Premier for providing those details. As I understood, the trip to Ottawa that all of Cabinet went on was precisely as part of this federal engagement strategy and the three pitches that they made when they were down there. In any event, I will move on.

One of the commitments that we made in our mandate was increasing transparency and accountability and strengthening consensus government, so a knowledge of the lobbying activities of the executive would help make us more transparent and accountable. Does the Minister believe we should have lobbyist registration...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate that commitment from the Minister. It still seems rather counterintuitive to me that we are asking communities to do more land use planning for themselves, yet we are cutting the capacity within the department to approve the land use plans, the zoning bylaw changes, and so on, that they come up with. It just does not make much sense to me. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

I thank the Premier for his response. The Earnscliffe Strategy Group is a registered lobbyist under federal legislation, and they fully disclose that GNWT is one of its clients, as shown in a filing that I will table later today. The period of its service to the GNWT includes a period where our entire Cabinet went to Ottawa. Did the Earnscliffe Strategy Group provide any advice or support for the planning or execution of the November trip by all of Cabinet?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. That is getting closer. Are these the people, though, within the department who give advice to the Minister about whether the Minister should be signing off on zoning changes, general plans, those sort of things that require ministerial approval? The reason I ask this question is because, if we have fewer people giving advice to the Minister or we have a diminished capacity here, is this going to delay the ability of communities to carry out the land use planning that the department seems to want them to do? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I do have a motion following the committee report.

I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, that Committee Report 718(2), Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures Report on the Review of Members' Conduct Guidelines, be received by the Assembly and moved into Committee of the Whole for further discussion. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Carried

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate that the Members have now been straightened out. I guess I am looking for an explanation as to why there is a reduction, why this reduction is being made. Is there less work to do? I would like an explanation. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. We could have a great debate here. My concern is the longer our fingerprints are on that through the surface lease the more difficult it is going to be for us to try to make a case to the federal government that they can and should take it back. So we've got the ability to increase the security to cover the existing assets that are on the ground, the existing liabilities; why can't we do something about it now? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Merci, Monsieur le President. It is good to know that the last time it was looked at was 2011, and I understand that the Minister has a lot on her plate in terms of legislation. We have got 911; City, Towns, and Villages Act; Fire Prevention Act, and so on. It seems to be a long legislative slumber in the department going on. I am not making it a demand for immediate action on this issue of improving consumer protection, but can the Minister commit to placing the need for improved consumer protection into the departmental business planning and report to the standing committee this fall with...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I am glad. Thank you for the answer from the deputy minister. So, since the massive disposition report, if I can call it that, has been sent to the Law Society and the Law Foundation, has there actually been a facetoface meeting with these organizations to talk about how to move forward with the disposition of the materials and this new resource centre? So, a facetoface meeting, has that actually happened? Thanks, Mr. Chair.