Sandy Lee

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to just speak briefly in support of the motion. I do believe many organizations in Yellowknife anyway, already do criminal records checks on people that work with children. I know that the schools do that and the Arctic Winter Games Society I know is engaged in that. If anybody signs up to be a volunteer, they would have to go through a criminal records check. I think this is being done. However, this motion is to fill the gaps and to make it as comprehensive as possible. So I support that in that way.

While the government does not have the power to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The RCMP not doing the escorting of prisoners and the correction officers taking over that, that is so yesterday’s news. I’d really appreciate it if the Minister doesn’t keep repeating that. I think that just highlights one of the many things, I’m sure, I don’t know, the Minister doesn’t know, we’re not running the RCMP, we’re not on the street, so can I ask the Minister to take this issue more seriously and answer specifically, would the department undertake a formal comprehensive review on the work of RCMP with the goal to minimize their work and maximizing their...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are to the Minister of Justice and it’s in follow up to the Member’s statement. Mr. Speaker, we’ve had many debates on this topic and the most recent being the time in the last budget session when the Minister and I had some exchanges about what we could do to maximize the RCMP resources so that as many of the boots as possible are on the street. So in that vein, I’d like to know if the Minister has done, or is willing to do, a comprehensive review of the work that the RCMP does and see what we can do to streamline, to lighten their burden of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I wish to raise an issue about what is commonly known as the downtown problem. Mr. Speaker, as you mentioned in your opening statement of this sitting, we had the pleasure of a number of visitors to this Legislature prior to the session. While visiting with the women parliamentarians and the senior civil servants for the leadership tour, I was struck by one common topic that emerged from two totally separate set of visitors. After they each profusely commented on how friendly the people were and how beautiful some of the sites were, the women talked...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to also speak briefly in favour of the motion. There’s no question that the high cost of power and the money that the people have to pay for use of power has been, and always is, the number one issue when we visit communities in regards to how it affects cost of living. I do like the multi-pronged approach to this motion. It is calling for a review in order that we could improve our power delivery system, I guess, and the rates of it for all the communities.

Mr. Speaker, I must say I don’t necessarily agree with increasing power subsidy if it...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t think I’ve heard a yes or no commitment from him, Mr. Speaker. We have a new change of commanding officer; this is a good time to do it. But, Mr. Speaker, I’m telling you I have information that even though on the books it shows that we have 42 RCMP officers, there are times when we only have two pairs of boots on the street. We need to do something, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask the Minister, would he undertake to do a formal review? I’m not trying to suck up the time of the RCMP. I’m trying to give them more time. So Mr. Speaker, would he just say yes to this...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m not quite clear on what the mandate and the time frame of this committee is. I believe this issue requires a real focus and serious attention. One of the examples I’ve heard is that RCMP in uniform actually looks after the travelling schedule for witnesses. They organize the travelling schedules and they call court services and court services approves this. I think that is one example where we could use other resources than RCMP who are trained to be on the street, to be seen and do the work. So I’d like to ask the Minister more specific questions. What is exactly...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to recognize young people in the gallery, young constituents from Range Lake. Some of them, I’m proud to say, I’ve known them since they were in kindergarten. They’re Grade 6 Ms. Hans’ class from the best school in Range Lake, Range Lake North School; the only school, Range Lake North School.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, none of that explains why the gas price went up by six cents in Yellowknife when we have no permanent bridge. There is no new supply coming in; it’s the same old stuff. I mean that explanation may work for southern communities, but we are cut off from the rest of the world because we have no bridge. They’re using the same stuff and the price went up and the only variable was that the prices were…

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, following up on my Member’s statement, I’d like to just ask the Minister of Finance what is his explanation for the gas prices in Yellowknife stations going from $1.19 to $1.25 when he knows that we have no bridge and unless they flew the gas in, which I don’t think they did, it’s the same stock. So if he could try his best to answer to start with. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.