Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the answer from the Minister. Can the Minister provide some assurance to the people in Fort Good Hope that there are emergency plans in case the bridge doesn’t get up and is usable, that the airport will not be closed for a couple days in terms of the work that’s supposed to get done by the close of the winter season? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am going to support the honourable Mr. Menicoche, Member for Nahendeh, in terms of his point of privilege. Mr. Speaker, when we come into the House, the integrity of this institution is at stake in terms of the process and the respect that we give each other and the jobs that we do. If there are changes made to a bill, we need to be aware of them, as committee members. If there are some changes to a bill without us as committee members not knowing or the House not going through the process, even though it may be consistent with supporting the bill, if...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, too, want to recognize all the judges in the gallery here. Also, I want to make special mention to Justice Earl Johnson from Nunavut, who’s in the gallery. I’d also like to recognize Paul Andrew who is from CBC and also my home town of Tulita. I’d also like to recognize Betty Quitte from Yellowknife.

---Applause

Can I get an explanation from the Minister in terms of this supp here?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last fall in the House, I made a statement about the contaminated soil mound in Tulita. I asked the Minister some questions. My question is to the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development in regard to his commitment to meet with the federal Minister of Natural Resources Canada about the federal government’s unacceptable delay in the cleaning up of contaminated sites in the Northwest Territories. Will the Minister please advise this House as to the result of that meeting? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chairperson. One more question then I will be done with my general comments here. I will make a comment to the $4 million for additional costs that recur for services at hospitals outside the Northwest Territories. Is this only to one hospital or is this to many hospitals across Canada? This is a huge number to pay for services that possibly could be done in the Northwest Territories.

I might be getting into some areas that maybe we cannot do here in the Territories, but that is a huge increase for costs that we are paying outside the Northwest Territories. Maybe if I can...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Over the course of the last few days, we have discussed a proposal -- and I say proposal -- to build a courthouse, a brand spanking new courthouse for Yellowknife in the future. Mr. Speaker, we also spoke of other projects in the Northwest Territories to be constructed in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I am receiving feedback to the logic or the reason why we have put a brand new courthouse as a priority in our spending of public funds, especially with the type of figure of $41 million. Mr. Speaker, with $41 million, we could put some serious dollars into the...

Thank you, Madam Chairperson. It may be hard for the Minister to crystal-ball; however, he does leave some questions for me. He says a few impacts; is it under $500,000 or is it going to be another $1 million? I know it is going to be difficult for him to answer but…I’m not too sure if I can get him to commit to a number in terms of the significance of the impacts for next year for this increase in compensation for these nurses. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chairperson. Madam Chairperson, also in the opening comments, the Minister has indicated, in bold-point form, $1.6 million for increases to compensation resulting from the re-evaluation of nursing and allied health care professions. Could the Minister further explain the $1.6 million increase as a result of the re-evaluation of nursing and allied health care professionals? Thank you.

Madam Chair, this land development staging site, I take it that other groups have been involved. Is Enterprise in the area in terms of going through some land claims settlement in the area that’s being developed? That’s a lot of area for a staging site. I want to ask that to the Minister. Thank you.