Robert Hawkins

Mr. Speaker, I look for clarification on the official record from the Minister. By all means, I really hope I’m wrong on this particular case, but I have been informed that community health nurses at their health stations have no ability to leave their station to provide health care if there’s an incident on the highway or within close proximity. Maybe the Minister could help shed some light on that particular case. If it is a rumour out there or misinterpretation, maybe he can help put that to rest. The fact is we want to make sure people are helping.

Are nurses hamstrung or nurse...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I talked about the need to support first responders. I was really highlighting about the importance in the communities, how they need that type of support. Without those first responders, whether you are in Ulukhaktok, Gameti or, certainly, Lutselk’e, first responders provide a critical role. If they are untrained, they put themselves as well as the person they are trying to help at great risk.

Knowing that every community deserves some type of support, is the Minister of Health aware in some manner or such of what type of program exists to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In Yellowknife we’re very fortunate to have organized first responders in our city. I know I’m very grateful, as well as many other people in our city. However, not every community has this privilege, and for obvious reasons; sometimes it’s not feasible, but that doesn’t make it any more right and it certainly doesn’t make it fair. By coincidence, if you happen to live in the Tu Nedhe riding – that’s either in Lutselk'e or Fort Resolution – and just by chance there happens to be a terrible situation in that particular area, who responds? Who has the skills and...

Would the Minister be able to elaborate exactly where they are in proximity to Yellowknife and the Territories? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to table a poster here today. It belongs to the NWT Disabilities Council regarding their annual auction, of course, which is being held November 24th, between 7 and 11, and you’ll see that on the poster if you click on it on-line. Thank you.

I appreciate the Minister recognizing those two particular issues, the ones I’ve raised, but I think he’s missed the concern that they’re well outside the ability to manage it at Stanton.

The Department of Health sets the mandate and value of what they will provide the authority for physician costs, as well as medical travel costs, but their burdened to run the actuals. In other words, the department provides a budget and the Stanton authority has to do the actual, which always puts them in deficit. That’s why I once again ask, would the Minister be able to take a look at the situation and ask...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to item 7 on our orders of the day, oral questions.

---Unanimous consent denied

There have been occasions when this particular Minister has been quoted in this House about demanding that salaries get publicized. So why would this question be less relevant when he’s a Minister now? I’d like to ask specifically as Minister what has he done, rather than asking committee to make the recommendations that you can either follow or not follow, but what has the Minister done in his capacity to bring forward the information as I’ve suggested in the manner I’ve suggested? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today in my Member’s statement I talked about other jurisdictions that proactively take the right approach in disclosing salary ranges for civil servants. In the Northwest Territories it presents itself as a very significant challenge.

My question is to the Minister of Human Resources. What is the Minister doing to publish public service salaries over the range by way of example of $75,000 in the similar manner as BC or even Ontario does? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. At the same time, I’d like to request some information on Sissons. As I understand it, there are, I’m going to say, code violations, although I’m not sure that’s the right phrase. So I stress I don’t want to cause any alarms, but if I understand it, there were some violations that were important upgrades. Whether it be the fire alarm system or things of that nature, I don’t recall them at this particular second, but there was an assessment on short-term needs at Sissons, and I’m wondering if I can get a briefing note that reflects the immediate and medium-term Sissons’...