Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In listening to Mr. Bromley’s question, it ironically was quite close to a matter I dealt with this morning. I had a constituent who came to my office from I would define an African community, and they talked about how difficult it is and challenging here in Yellowknife when we have a Nominee Program and broader, larger efforts to attract new immigrants to the North, but they find that the service levels are quite low. Many of them have said that they’ve got approximately in the range of 200 people here from the African community, but many of them have left their...

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister advise the House specifically what does the chief medical health officer advise the public by way of details to levels of fluoridation as well as the context of the pros and cons and, therefore, we have an informed public, I believe, both in Inuvik, Fort Smith and Yellowknife? Thank you.

Would the department be willing or would they commit to giving me a breakdown of the examples of how they’ve spent that in the last budget year and how they anticipate spending that particular money or targeting that money in this budget year?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m glad the Minister mentioned the WHO, because the WHO in 1994 recommended levels half of what the Minister had prescribed up to the level of what the Minister prescribed.

As we all know, toothpaste comes with fluoride and there are many other products out there that do pick up the shortfall where there is a gap. Again, I’m not talking about the management of an actual municipality from the injection system at the water treatment plant. I’m not talking about the governance of the council about them flipping a coin on whether they should put it in or not. What type of...

With that said, can the department provide some examples and certainly attach some dollar amounts that they provide in meeting those supports that they’ve highlighted?

The Minister is correct that it’s a municipal issue that they actually manage, but from a public health point of view it falls under the chief medical officer quite rightly, as she put the issue. So then follows with the particular matter of how often the levels are monitored and what type of public education is provided by the chief medical health officer out there that people realize that fluoridation is added to their particular water and they understand the full gamut of what it means, whether it fixes teeth or helps defer decay from teeth or, as other people have talked about, it’s...

I’m sure that information would be useful to all Members, of course. I think the Minister alluded that when he said he’d share it with the Members, he meant everyone.

Mr. Chairman, just to continue on this, I’m trying to find out what support services we provide for early childhood development programming. I’m going to pursue the area of assessment. That’s the particular area that I’d like to pursue. Assessment, when I refer to it, is things like speech language behaviour and play and motor skill development. What type of support do we provide?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I raised a number of issues about the Liquor Board and its regulations and rules that govern it. Mr. Speaker, quite simply, the residency and the fair representation are the points I’ve been trying to raise. I feel that they could be addressed quite reasonably and fairly here today. Would the Minister of Finance, who represents this particular area in his portfolio, be willing to go back to the table and review the particular regulations that we have accordingly at this time and make residency a requirement as well as acknowledge...

I think we’re sort of saying the same thing, but supporting an independent campus in Yellowknife is not supporting Aurora College in Yellowknife. I think those are two particular differences that we shouldn’t try to drive a wedge between, that shouldn’t exist. I believe it’s the same thing. That’s why I’m asking the Minister, although he says we’re working towards that, I’d like to know if the department supports an independent campus for Aurora College in Yellowknife.

I thank the Minister for that answer. Is it the position of the department to support an independent campus in Yellowknife?