Sandy Lee

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. For the record, I did get an invitation to see the Novel project in Calgary and I don’t believe I need to see the site to make these arguments and ask for information. I do believe this project has to stand on its own. I would also extend an invitation to the Minister to come and visit my riding where I am sure there are at least 1,400 mobile homes already. My question is not, and has never been, about mobile homes. It’s not a question about whether ATCO units are suitable. I am sure they are very beautiful and adequate. I don’t have a problem with that. I want the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, as much as I appreciate the information that was given to me through the answers to my written questions, when you read it closely it's quite surprising how little detail there is still for a project this big. I mean, we’re talking about a $297 million project that is supposed to provide over 1,400 homes and it’s a project where the Minister is stating that CMHC and Housing Canada is supposed to give $119 million and the GNWT is supposed to give $116 million. We’re talking really, really, really big money and I am surprised with the answers that the...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The written answer that the Minister gave to my question says that this project will cost $297 million. CMHC contribution will be $119 million. I am assuming that the federal financing goes in there. GNWT contribution will be $116 million and the industry contribution will be $62 million. Mr. Chair, the Minister states that ATCO is the only one with the trademark of Novel, but that is not to say that that might be the only company in the world who could do some kind of a conversion. I don’t know that. What I want to know is that this government has done due...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I used the last opportunity I had to speak on generality, so I would like to try to focus on specifics here. It is in regards to the Novel housing which was mentioned in the Minister of Finance’s budget statement. Also, I had the opportunity to ask the corporation some specific written questions. I received a reply on that. I appreciate the answers. It was quite lengthy. It contained a lot of information, but I do still need some clarifications. The first one is -- and I will try to be brief in my questions -- one of the things that the Minister indicated is that...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Members of the Standing Committee on Social Programs, as Members of the Accountability and Oversight Committee, were involved in the new pre-budget consultation process with the people of the Northwest Territories in late August of 2005. Hearings were held north and south of the Lake, and gave ordinary northerners and non-governmental organizations the opportunity to provide input to MLAs on the priorities that the budget should focus on.

The committee then met with the Minister and his officials on Wednesday, September 21, 2005, to review the draft business plan of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can tell you that the plant operators have met with most of the Yellowknife MLAs, and certainly this is an issue that is important to us and that needs to be addressed. It seems to me that the core question is with respect to price for the core customers. So I think the diamond plant is not looking for a special privilege, but just to get a fair core customer price, and the question remains as to what that is and as to whether or not there is a premium being charged and, if so, how much. I guess what came out of my discussion of this that really surprised me is lack...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over the weekend, I got thinking about this government’s negotiating tactics and strategies with the federal government. When I saw the headline going across the television screen that read something like, NWT and Newfoundland support or like the vision of the new Harper government, Mr. Speaker, I am not sure if the national viewers would appreciate the intricacies of the NWT consensus government in the North. For certainty, I don’t believe there is, or has been, such a generalized consensus on the NWT position.

Mr. Speaker, I, for one, have stated that I...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Sahtu, that Committee Report 7-15(4) be received by the Assembly and moved into Committee of the Whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your Standing Committee on Social Programs is pleased also to provide its report on the 2006-2007 Pre-Budget Review Process and commends it to the House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With respect to the infrastructure money to the communities, it’s my understanding that those are multi-year funding in partnerships with the community governments and the GNWT and federal funding, as well as the federal gas tax. The former government, during the campaign, talked about making it multi-year. We are not certain about that. Could I just ask the Minister if the section that he has on page 5 is certain for now and not subject to change with the new government? Thank you.