Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When I think about the Mackenzie Valley pipeline it raises a number of concerns for me; primary concerns such as what it will do to benefit northerners. We should be asking these questions for a long time. We had been, is the way I see it. At this time, I think we should know some of the answers before we break ground. Our return to the Mackenzie Valley pipeline for the Northwest Territories without a resource revenue sharing agreement is expected to be $900 million over the next 30 years compared to what the federal government’s share is, which is almost $22 billion...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, I won’t be as long. I see this pipeline not like a train, but I get the image of more like a hurricane or tsunami taking over Florida. It is just going to come through the Northwest Territories, destroy our little towns and villages. So anybody in a trailer or whatnot better watch out, because these big oil companies are coming in.

Mr. Speaker, it’s paramount, it’s not just critical, it’s paramount that we receive primary benefits, substantial benefits, from this. In the Northwest Territories, we truly are the stewards of this land. However, I really doubt we have a...

My apologies, Mr. Speaker, and, of course to the Prime Minister of Canada. I would not insinuate that in a very negative way, and my apologies and I will retract that.

Mr. Speaker, I see the North is hurting from the way Ottawa is taking our resources, and I think you can tell from the passion in my voice I think our people will be suffering from that. Would the Premier tell us today how much has been invested to date in preparing for this pipeline? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I hope and I pray our Premier is right, that some day…However, the way I read the agreement now or I see us proceeding, I should say, not reading the agreement, is, yes, our resource benefit will increase, but our grant will decrease and still it will be a level playing field, there will be no change. So I can’t see that we are proceeding in a direction right now that is what I want as concrete.

Mr. Speaker, the Pembina Institute released a report that was on the radio in August, saying that the federal government who sets the royalties is giving away the territory...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You already mentioned their names, but I would like to mention a fine constituent of mine who is Pat McMahon, a former mayor of this fine city of Yellowknife. In her fine company is Captain Tony Evans of the HMCS Yellowknife. I’d like to draw to the attention of all Members of this House that I’m wearing the Yellowknife ship’s pin right on my chest here with pride. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Not Miss Lee. I hope that’s not misleading.

---Laughter

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I’m just going to provide a comment. Recognizing how billings changed in the sense of elements they get more sophisticated. The fact that you have to move so much air, the fact that we’re basically talking about hard costs, fuel and electricity, I mean, things change. So I don’t know what more to say other than the fact that it’s a bit of a surprise. Maybe we should be asking the Minister to provide us the accounting mechanism used, rather than complaining about the fact that the number is wrong...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if I may remind us all again, in 2002 we had almost $35 million outstanding. Of course, by the time that got paid out, we had to have a 10 percent holdback. As I’ve said earlier, in 2003 we had $25.4 million held back. Mr. Speaker, we’ve had the same Member of Parliament since 1988 with the Liberal Party. She’s been in Parliament. She’s been consistent. That would be the Honourable Member Ethel Blondin-Andrew. Since 1992, Mr. Speaker, it’s been the same government in power. So that’s a lot of years, Mr. Speaker. So my question is to the Minister of Health...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise with questions to the Minister of Health and Social Services. I’m going to bring to his attention the tabled document 2004 Report from the Auditor General that was tabled last week. Mr. Speaker, I read section three the other day and I was quite surprised -- which would be no surprise, I’m sure, to that Minister -- by the fact that the territorial government is bankrolling some of the responsibilities of the federal government to the tune of for the year 2003 almost $25.4 million for services that the federal government is responsible for. The...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is not a new issue. Mr. Speaker, it is time to get this job done. Mr. Speaker, I am not sure what we need to do as Regular Members or as a Caucus as a whole. Do we need to put barricades on the road and say no more resources out of the Territories until we settle some of these basic things? Does the Minister need a commitment from all Members to put forward a motion to get the support? What does the Minister need to get done in order to get his job done at the federal level? We need that money. It is time that we stopped bankrolling the federal...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I didn’t hear the actual number, so I suspect that will be a commitment to follow shortly, of course. Mr. Speaker, if I may entertain this a little further, noting section 3.4. This is an item noted many times by the Auditor General. We follow yearly agreements that have to get negotiated and when we finally get an agreement in place and money paid, they still hold back 10 percent. Mr. Speaker, is the Department of Health and Social Services working on an agreement so we get this done on a timely basis? Sometimes we have to wait over a year to start getting our money...