Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Frame Lake, that committee -- I can take it back -- strike it from the record. I'll start again, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Member for Frame Lake, that the Committee Report 23-20(1), Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment Report on the Review of Land Use Permitting and Water Licensing Regulatory Framework in the Northwest Territories, be received and adopted by this Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment is pleased to provide its Report on the Review of Land Use Permitting and Water Licensing Regulatory Framework in the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, I'll read the executive summary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment’s, (the committee) interest in undertaking a targeted review of the Mackenzie Valley Resources Management Act’s (MVRMA) regulatory framework began in the Spring of 2024. This review was largely prompted by committee being...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Not to sound silly in in any way -- it's serious -- which is we're not born with a gun in our hand nor with the knowledge how to use it. It's a learnt skill, whether you'd call it that or not. You're not born with a knife in your hand. Again, similar. So when you look at caribou dressing and those types of things, can the department maybe look at holding community clinics, in other words, in regions and over the summer or in the fall, of saying this is how you do these types of things, and this is -- you know, more engagement in the sense of hands on showing people...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday in my email I got a response from the Minister of ECC regarding some caribou herd populations. I certainly was appreciative of the response. But my question, of course, that stirred the other question which was about wastage, and so I see some numbers and information, which I appreciate. My question, of course, being more specific, which is what is the department's strategy given the most recent news stories about caribou wastage? How are they dealing with this, and public education can only go so far, so they must be able to do other types of things to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given the risks that can happen with, for example, measles and given the most recent example of what's happened by shutting a school down, Mr. Speaker, why wouldn't the department look at considering the option of legally requiring staff to -- staff and teachers to be vaccinated? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there was, I think earlier in the return to oral questions, the Premier did cite that he's paid at a deputy minister III up to 300 and I think $26,000. It was actually more than the Prime Minister gets paid, oddly enough. But out of -- I would hope that, Mr. Speaker, that the Premier could be very specific as to what advice he's getting so he can approach the Prime Minister on these initiatives -- he's already lists them, I don't need to go through them -- and what type of political advice he's giving the Premier to help work in collaboration to get the...

All right, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm excited to ask questions to the Premier regarding his upcoming wonderful trip to Saskatoon, and I'd like to know little details and hopefully, we can share this within the House. Specifically, Mr. Speaker, what is the plan or what will the Premier be proposing at this First Minister's conference with the Prime Minister of Canada that suits -- that lines up with the mandate of the NWT but also some of our major significant infrastructure projects; and, lastly, especially noting the tone of the Prime Minister to build and be bold. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, investing in our Arctic road to resources, Mr. Speaker, it's the highway north of Yellowknife, is an excellent, if not a major significant economic opportunity for the North and Canada. Mr. Speaker, if you look at the NWT's GDP alone, you'd start to wonder in this territory, is it trending that people are quietly quitting? Our GDP is shrinking and things are -- maybe no one's taken the opportunity to inform or tell the Premier.

Mr. Speaker, we're going to need some bold brinkmanship action to get in there, lock down, and get some investment in the North...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was kind of hoping I'd also hear some information regarding enforcement. Now, I wouldn't be asking for the spy trade techniques from enforcement officers, you know, the James Bond hiding behind a fake tree or something. But the truth be told is there must be some fundamental issues with meat wastage. In other words, why? Is there any time spent on trying to diagnose why is this such a problem or why are people choosing this approach as opposed to treating the animal with respect or, you know, finding a way to deal with it better, I guess is what I'm...

You know, I appreciate the shout-out to public health. You know, they do a great job, and they certainly help ensure that people are ready. But, Mr. Speaker, we are talking about the department of health -- or sorry, department of education, not the department of health and, furthermore, we're talking about schools, not that. So I would be curious on what the Minister meant by some type of conversation. Is she willing to take it back to her department to look at is this something we could do, is this something -- how could it roll out and how could it be envisioned and certainly in the sense...