Sandy Lee

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to be cautious in my support of the Minister, because I happen to think that the corporation really doesn't need that much more consultation and dithering on this issue, I'm going to tell you. But I have to tell you that I've had such little good news out of this that I'm prepared to hang onto anything, and what I'm hearing today is that the corporation is willing to look at chronic condition as something that would be eligible for permanent disability. Now, that's an opening that I'm willing to go with. But I'd like to ask the Minister and the corporation...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was holding back on the questions for WCB because I believe that the AOC is working on the response to the work that the committee has done, but the Minister's answers to the Member for Great Slave has intrigued me on this issue so I would like to ask the Minister for more information about what it is exactly that the WCB is going out to the stakeholders on. Does that suggest that the WCB is now ready to change the policies that would be more in line with the Valic and Martin decision, which is different from what the corporation has been telling us?...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last week the former Minister of Health and Social Services committed to have in the capital budget for YACCS be in place for the '08-09 fiscal year, and obviously this is better than nothing but it's still disappointing from where we all thought we were at. Mr. Speaker, for at least a dozen years, concerned citizens of Yellowknife have worked tirelessly on this project. In fact, the government was so impressed with the proposal done by the YACCS that it actually hired the consultant that worked on the project to do a plan for the entire NWT. Well, good...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I do have communication with the Minister in writing and I don't want to read it again, and I would like to take the Minister's commitment here to go with. But at the same time, could I just ask the Minister whether or not it would be possible to have those changes made to the rules of court on the service requirement, first of all to confirm that his officials will work toward making it acceptable to have an employer being served the same as the employee and, second of all, whether the Minister could give a commitment as to how long this will take for that to happen...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'd like to speak as a Regular Member in this Assembly, not as the chair of Social Programs. I just want to start by thanking the Minister for bringing this legislation forward. I do realize that any document that says Garnishment Remedies Statutes Amendment Act might not be very exciting, but I have to tell you that this is a legislative amendment that has quite important, practical implications for a lot of residents out there.

I believe the Minister has mentioned the Creditors Relief Act has not had amendments in this jurisdiction for a very long time, and this...

And billions with a B; and Pacific Analytic Inc. Consulting Economists. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to be clear that I don't have a problem with people making a profit. I mean that's what makes the markets go around. Good on them if the companies can come and make profits. I'm interested in what is the GNWT getting in this development project. I think it is the resources of our territory; it has a lot to do with our future economic prosperity. Good on the aboriginal governments for working hard to get what is beneficial to them, but I have to tell you that we have to be very concerned that in the whole mix of things we've got nothing so far…

I think we understand that this is a mega, mega project, and the latest figure I've heard was a $7 billion investment required by the consortium and the cost is going up. But even at $10 billion, a $17 billion profit is quite healthy. It's an 80 to 100 percent return. I think anybody would go for that.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would presume that the end result of this process would be that there will be legislation required. But as it is, it's in a very preliminary discussion period so I would think that you don't have to have all the t's crossed and i's dotted before people could participate and really engage in the discussion about something I think that's more important for the North in the small communities. So would the Minister be encouraged to hurry up, and could we possibly see this within the next month or so, so that we can engage our people into full discussion? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, of late, one of the debates around the House has been about the important value and the need for the Members to be able to speak without the fear of intimidation on behalf of the people we represent. We showed our resolve in that regard yesterday. But I have been thinking about what we have been doing to make such capacity available to people in our communities who are afraid to speak out against the government because of their fear about losing their jobs, their businesses or their contracts. As I stated two days ago in this House, Mr. Speaker, in a small...