Kevin O'Reilly

Yes, thanks, Madam Chair. I agree with my colleague from Yellowknife North on this. In the last Assembly, we worked pretty hard to ensure that our constituency assistants, they're now eligible for, you know, different kind of benefits. And we worked hard to try to promote them as employees here within the they're not within the civil service but trying to make sure that we could find some ways to keep our constituency assistants as well. I can tell you that I pay my constituency assistant more than $25 an hour, and I think they deserve a living wage, and this is probably in about the...

Thanks, Madam Chair. So I've been here for two Assemblies, and I can tell the public that this already happens. This is the case. You know, in the orientation Members are made aware of their options for pensions. There's a deadline. You get a reminder. This already happens. But I'm okay with accepting this but I can tell you from practice it already happens. Thanks, Madam Chair.

For.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for those comments to look at the revenue options paper. I hope to get a new one. And of course the Minister's no doubt well aware of the devastating impacts of the Hay River flooding. And I'm hearing that there could be as many as 350 or 400 applications under our Disaster Assistance Policy. Government infrastructures going to require serious remediation. And, you know, we may even need to relocate folks or West Point First Nation.

So can the Minister tell us whether there is a preliminary estimate for the Hay River flood recovery...

Mahsi, Madam Chair. I move that the chair rise and report progress. Thank you.

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Finance about preparation of the 20232024 Operations Budget.

This Minister's carried out budget consultations each of the last three years, and I support that initiative. Can the Minister tell us whether there will be public budget consultations again this with year and whether there will be any serious discussion of the need for more revenues? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Against.

For.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the mover and the seconder of the motion. I know the mover's obviously done quite a bit of work on this.

I do have a problem with the word "growth", quite frankly. You know, we do live on a finite planet and growth in some parts of the world, we just cannot sustain it any further without getting another planet somewhere. But I understand that the thrust of this is really about trying to maintain programs and services and sort of critical mass of folks in parts of the Northwest Territories, so I can support it.

We do have to start, I think, to pay a...

Merci, Monsieur le President. I apologize to the interpreters and the House.