Sandy Lee

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I don’t have general comments on the opening statement, but I do have some questions on the proposed expenditure to prepare for the Mackenzie gas project of $1.3 million for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and $378,000 for the Department of Health and Social Services. Certainly this is something that many individuals and groups across the Territories have been asking for the government to do. I know the government has been trying to get the federal government to perhaps take over a bigger burden of it and the GNWT has been left with no choice but to...

I don’t think I got confirmation as to whether this is supposed to be non-profit. I think Minister Roland indicated that it’s supposed to be self-sustaining. I don’t know what that means. I don’t know if there are too many groups out there without making any money. I am assuming somebody will make some money. They should make some money on this. I am being told that they will be required to pay some of these fees back. We don’t want to see a situation where they would be overburdened by having to make these payments. I guess at this point we don’t have any idea how it’s going to work once it...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I’m glad to see that the Minister is straightforward enough to admit that this was a political decision, because I was thinking that listening to the Minister’s answers. Of course there will be situations where capital projects cannot proceed. We could miss the barge deadline, we could have all sorts of administrative and logistical problems where the construction cannot proceed, but I don’t think people out there are happy to see a capital project being moved around for political reasons. Even if the government spends $5,000 over, they have to report to us....

Could the Minister confirm whether this was supposed to be a non-profit operation? I think that is what has been the plan. We expect that the non-profit community organizations would bid for these projects and run them. Now the Minister is indicating that the government will buy this equipment. I don’t know how long these contracts are. If somebody gets to do this work for two or three years, what happens to the equipment after that? If they are self-sustaining after the program gets off the ground, are they expected to pay towards the equipment and, if not, the equipment should stay as...

…how could he ever be certain that thing is going to be built and that the government is not going to just put it off and just let it lapse and then change its mind? How can we do our jobs in that way? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There is $550,000 stated for materials and supplies, which is a huge sum of money. It could mean anything. It could be a pen and pencil to whatever the recycling equipment may be. Perhaps that’s what this is about. I would like to know more details about what the money is going to be spent on. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker and colleagues. May I just conclude by saying that, Madam Speaker, we have to understand that all over the NWT we have an alarming statistic of children with severe cases of behavioural, emotional and mental health needs, whether they be caused by FASD, a dysfunctional home environment or clinical issues. This centre in Yellowknife is the only network of specialized care we have and surrounding it are a web of highly specialized services that these children desperately need.

The right thing for the government to do is to strengthen what we have so that you can serve all...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This has been in the works for many, many years. It is going across two assemblies. The laws on these were approved in the last Assembly. It was started at the beginning of that Assembly almost, and it is quite frustrating actually to see that this is still not off the ground. I would like to know from the Minister what is the problem. Should we have put more resources there? It seems like the negotiations for depots have been going on forever. Regulations have been written forever, like for two or three years. It was something that was concrete and seemed to...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I have to state once again that the proposed transfer of the Territorial Treatment Centre is not a wise decentralization move, but a reckless dismantling of a very fragile and crucial service for children, not only at the Territorial Treatment Centre but all over the North, who increasingly require highly specialized care. Rather than building up on its fragile strength, the government is proposing to start from scratch just because it’s politically expedient. I would like to ask the government to hold off this plan until a substantive assessment has...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I just want to ask some questions, not on a specific item, although obviously reference will be made to it. On this issue of the government coming back to us to approve something that has been approved before in principle, I think that as a budgeting process that has to be reviewed.

Mr. Chairman, we have a rule in this House where normally we are not allowed to revisit things that have been decided on. We are not allowed to revisit a new motion unless it is to be rescinded. So why is it possible, why is that part of the process that a capital project as...