Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Edmonton City Centre Airport is still facing closure, which will impact our medevac flights here from the North, but there is a viable alternative on the horizon. A well-known Edmonton city airport known as the Muni is facing closure, but the Province of Alberta has been working closely with the federal government to come up with a solution of using the old Edmonton Garrison airstrip, which is seven kilometres north of the city of Edmonton. The National Defence runway is located on a good transportation route, which connects to the Anthony Henday road, which rings...

If we’re waiting until the fall into 2012, which is obviously still good. I mean, it’s good to hear that we’re going in the right direction, how are we supposed to work with the ITI counterparts about getting out there, from an outfitter point of view, of selling some of these packages? Is there any way to work early with these outfitters and draw some early indications so they can actually get out there, sell their packages and get back to business, which, by the way, brings a lot of money into our economy? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today the Honourable J. Michael Miltenberger, Minister of Environment, talked about an update on the barren ground caribou management and a particular question that’s come regularly from the constituency is the outfitter problem. We can see significant growth in the population of the herds. I’d like to ask the Minister of ENR when the outfitters can expect to get back into the business of providing outfitting opportunities. Because the caribou setback and moratorium had done considerable damage to the reputation of the North, and certainly these outfitters are bleeding...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’d like to move that committee report progress. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to table the newspaper clipping from the Northern Journal dated January 31, 2012. The article is “Matrix Program Fights Addiction.” It is a great story about the things that are happening in Fort Smith, Fort Simpson and Fort Providence about working on and combatting drug and alcohol addictions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have to take issue with that particular last point which is saying detox is available across the North. I’m sorry; that is not exactly true. As we all know, the only place with any detox treatment here is at Stanton Territorial Hospital. As I repeated many times over, Stanton is not defined as a detox centre. It is a central wellness for folks. We should be putting people with addictions in an addiction treatment centre for detox.

My point here is we need bold action. This government needs to wake up from its deep slumber and take some action. Will the Minister be willing to develop a plan to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to return to the issue of a residential detox centre required here in the Northwest Territories. I’d like to state for the record, of course, if you really care about this issue, even from a Yellowknife perspective, I want to emphasize it doesn’t matter where the building gets established, where we provide residential treatment for people who have detox needs. I mean, the fact is if we can put it in a regional centre, I would certainly support that any moment that that issue comes forward for any type of a decision.

On that note, a residential centre is much...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I’d like to move a committee motion. I move that this committee recommends that tablet computers or other similar electronic devices be considered as a type of laptop computer/hand-held device, subject to the existing conventions in the House regarding electronic communication devices. Thank you, Madam Chair.

I like the last phrase the Minister said, which was he is prepared to be part of something that goes forward here. I am going to offer a quick pro quo to this particular subject. If the Minister is willing to do something, I will stop nagging about it every session. What I am asking for now is that he diverts some of that $6 million and develops a plan. Just because he shut down the detox centre, it didn’t shut down the issue. The people are suffering from these particular things. It didn’t just magically go away. The reality here is simply this: Would the Minister be willing to divert some of...

I’m not going to deny the need for spiritual connection both within one’s self and certainly with the land on a lot of people. It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. We cannot shoe horn everybody into the on-the-land program and call that a solution. What facts does the Minister have at his hand or with his arsenal defined as the department that he can provide this House and say and show that an on-the-land type of program would help people who suffer from things like crack, heroine, speed and other types of problems that require medical support, not just spiritual support? Thank you.