Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I stated in my Member’s statement, there are some concerns from my area with the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board and the round of consultations that they’re doing. I would like to ask the Minister of RWED if he is aware of the concerns that Hay River has with that board not coming to Hay River to do some reviews. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to draw attention to an issue which is both important to myself and the community which I represent and one that speaks to the ambivalence of public government to listen to the people of the North.

Mr. Speaker, this government has repeatedly stated that its actions will be governed by the will of the people. To this end, it has repeatedly shown an effort to meet with the people by means of a public consultation process. I believe that public consultation should be at the forefront of all of our actions.

Mr. Speaker, I get concerned when...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, there was one motion that we were going to make out of the Governance and Economic Development committee, and it was kind of a government-wide motion. So I would like to make a motion right now. I move that the committee recommends that the government establish regular reporting of all southern and international travel.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess we can look at it as a joke, but from the people’s perspective out there, that is one issue that they talk about all the time. We talk about changing the name of the Territories and what we have spent to get the Territories to where it is today and what it would cost to change the name. I am going to ask the question to the Premier on process. The Senator mentions, in his pamphlet that he put out, "that eventually I would introduce a bill to change the name of the territory in the Senate, perhaps as early as this fall." Could that possibly happen that way...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am glad to hear the Premier say that, that he does look at priorities. Is the Premier prepared to look at what Members’ priorities are as far as name change is concerned, what their views are on that and relate those views to the Senator? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Sibbeston has taken an approach to this issue that I have a lot of questions about and I would like to ask our Premier some questions during question period as to where our government stands on this issue seeing that, in my opinion, we have some much bigger fish to fry. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

----Applause

I’m alright with that, yes.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to make a motion. I move that this committee recommends that, beginning with the 2005-2008 draft business plans, the Department of Public Works and Services adopt a consistent practice of showing compensation and benefit costs that makes it clear which activities those costs are associated with.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this issue has been before us before. We have heard talk about it before. I am wondering if the Premier could tell me if government does know how much it would cost if the government should change the name of the Northwest Territories to something else. Has there been a cost analysis done of what it would cost this government if that should happen? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Laughter

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I stated in my Member’s statement, the issue of name change for the Northwest Territories seems to have surfaced again, this time with our Senator, the Honourable Nick Sibbeston. I would like to ask our Premier if our government has a position on this issue, considering that we have heard from the public at least twice on this issue. Does our government have a position on whether we want to see a name change or not? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.