Rocky Simpson

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just wanted to confirm. I guess I received my final "yes" with respect to the funding for the dialysis expansion for Hay River. Is that included in item number 6? Thank you, Madam Chair.

We know that the departments have tools and legislation and policy that can assist small businesses. We don't have to go to the federal government; we don't need anything from them right now. What is this government doing with the tools that each department currently has to lessen the impact COVID-19 will have on small businesses?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions, I think, will be for the Premier. The Prime Minister of Canada stated that no one should have to worry about paying rent, buying groceries, or finding childcare. I recommend that should also include not going without electricity in our northern communities, whether it's for five minutes, 10 minutes, or the day, during this time, and I would hope that the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation would stand up and take a stand on that. Also, we shouldn't be evicting people from their houses.

The Prime Minister also stated that the federal government is...

She has the authority on anything; it's pretty well anything to do with health, but we have other issues, like flights coming and going. We have traffic on the road. There are other areas that we have control over, as well. Is that correct?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This question is for the Minister of Health. Can the Minister confirm; just a second here. I'll back up a step. In the South Slave, and in, I guess, the territory, we continue to have air traffic and vehicle traffic coming in and going. Is there a plan in place to address and monitor this situation during this virus issue? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With permission from the Member for Hay River North, I am going to use a good part of a previous statement he made on dredging.

Mr. Speaker, the build-up of sediments in the Port of Hay River has reached a critical level. The federal government used to dredge the waterways around Hay River and at points in the Mackenzie River. That program ended in the early 1990s, and virtually nothing has been done since. The result is that tugs are dragging barges through silt, boats are being damaged, and sport and commercial fishermen are finding it unsafe. I am aware that dredging...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have thought about this expenditure of these funds, and initially, I had said that, when it came to this road, I had no interest in it whatsoever, but at the same time, I reflected on that, and I don't look at this as an infrastructure project versus people. What we have to look at, we have to look at it as a balanced approach to growing the NWT. The NWT, right now, we need an economy. Right now, besides the government, our main economy really is mining, and we know that it's going to end at some point. The diamond mines might end there, but something else might take...

Earlier, the Minister of ECE said he didn't have the authority to direct some matters. I am asking, I guess, myself and the people in the NWT, we're looking to this government to take leadership in developing the plans to keep people safe, remove fear, and make sure that any untrue information is taken out of the equation. Can the Minister of Health confirm the chain of command within her department or the government as we deal with COVID-19?

Like I said, we are relying on the advice of the Chief Public Health Officer. If the DEA makes decisions in line with that advice, then I would fully support it. If not, we'd have to look at it on a case-by-case basis. This is not something I can just stand up here and say, "yes" or "no." There are a lot of variables here. This is not a black-and-white situation. My number one concern is the safety, not just of the children, but of the community, because it's not necessarily the children who are affected by COVID-19; it's the elders in the community. I think that, as a government, the...

Thank you, Madam Chair. The question was: how many staff does the Office of the Fire Marshal have who do plan review? Thank you, Madam Chair.