Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, my questions will be for the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, the Honourable David Krutko. Madam Speaker, I am still concerned that there is zero transparency on this program and I’m not even sure I can quote any numbers because we don’t even know if they’re all correct. I’ve never been replied to with a new profile, a signed letter to say that they’re all correct. So, Madam Speaker, the point of transparency still stands. Will this Minister hear me when I say confidentiality is not an issue to be hiding behind, because if he goes...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, today is my last day in the House for this session, and it’s still EDAP day as far as I am concerned.

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Transparency, in my opinion, has been far beyond weak, it’s more like pathetic when it comes to finding out who is receiving grants and what scenarios and why. Madam Speaker, it took a week to produce a paper to say if you make more money you get less of a grant; if you make less money you get more of a grant. It took a week to produce this and this doesn’t say anything other than the obvious, Madam Speaker. It does not say if you have a...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I’m sorry for those that had to read the Hansard because I was sort of lost due to being overwhelmed on getting that last one. So, Madam Speaker, my only question now to the Minister, which should be quite easy for him, is when can I get these responses? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, asking for stats and information is not confidential when you don’t connect it to people’s names and when you have a pool of 14 people in a city as large as 20,000, it’s pretty tough to know who is who. On top of that, we don’t announce or publicize in any way the recipients of these grants. So we don’t say John Doe or Jane Doe received a grant. It’s very difficult to imagine how even to start to begin with how someone would connect a name with who potentially got this. So the bottom line is I think what’s being flaunted here is the word...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The committee encourages the Minister to continue lobbying the federal government for reasonable base funding for the NWT under the announced federal Day Care Program. It is abundantly clear to committee that the amount being offered as of today is woefully inadequate and will have no impact on the services and day care available to northerners.

Strong leadership is required to ensure that the NWT receives a sufficient amount to effect real change.

Over the past year, Members have become aware of several concerns with the Student Financial Assistance Program in...

Madam Speaker, I was so inspired with the happy answers from the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, I was inspired to write a written question. These questions are in reference to the past two fiscal years and are limited to the Yellowknife region only.

My question is for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation:

What is the total number of people turned away from the program, either disqualified by the department or the financial institution used to apply for a mortgage?

Of the number declined from the EDAP, what number were results of lack of available...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I do recognize the process and it was set up by this government many years ago. It was a one-year moratorium on land so we could settle the land claim process. But, Madam Speaker, the Yellowknives do have an entitlement to land, as does the city of Yellowknife have an entitlement for growth. Unfortunately, I would never like to see them conflict. That being said, would the Premier assure me that he’s working towards a mediation process or even just being there to help assist this process, so no stalemate ever exists between these two groups, so the City...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The City of Yellowknife is under a lot of pressure and has increasing demands for more residential lots and subdivisions in the city of Yellowknife. The residential areas are needed to add to the city’s quality of life, allowing the city’s increasing economic growth and to accommodate the city’s future workforce, the workforce that we are desperately trying to attract with initiatives done by this government. However, there is a very low supply of available residential lots and subdivisions at a reasonable cost to develop within this city.

Recently, the City of...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I didn’t get satisfaction on the answer. Why didn’t the Minister, if he identified there was a mistake or a clerical error in the information, rush down to my office or send a note down to say there was a small mistake and we pause this issue for one moment until we get clear absolute numbers? Why didn’t I get that note on Monday if he says it appeared two days ago? Why didn’t he slow the process down, because I certainly would have given him the gracious opportunity to get the absolute number? Why didn’t he come speak to me about that? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I want to applaud the Minister for clarifying that because no one is above making an error, and certainly a clerical error could happen to anyone out there, and I’m certainly not perfect myself. That being said, this whole issue about the transparency of this program, I’m still trying to get justification as to why we give such large grants to so few. So, Madam Speaker, I ask the question to the Minister, why are we giving such large grants to so few and would he provide those details of transparency so we can move forward on this issue? Thank you...