Robert Hawkins

Mr. Speaker, I want to make it clear, our milk is no longer free, so stop taking it, federal government.

---Applause

It’s time to marry the cow into a real agreement.

---Laughter

Until the federal government gives the Northwest Territories our share of resource revenues, until they invest into our protected areas, the Northwest Territories isn’t prepared to risk our beautiful environment to become what one environmental group called us, “America’s gas tank.”

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of the principle of the bill. I’d like to see the fact that this bill helps to redefine how we deal with things. Mr. Speaker, the old bill dealt with confidentiality, as rumoured, being told, as the bank-of-well-connected. I hope this new bill brings forward better rules for better disclosure and I look forward to that.

Mr. Speaker, the business development fund was set out to help business and I’m glad that this is being updated and replaced. But when I read the report we see $100,000 in a way of being treated as a travel agency, not to business...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my last question to the Premier would be can you say for certainty, for concrete proof, that our territorial membership is onside with this deal? Can you tell us that we are ready? Can you tell me that all regions are onside? Because if we do not have our house in order, we will never be able to deal on a collective front with Ottawa. Can the Premier say for certain that our investment to date will not be wasted, because we are not planning this with a planned approach together? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, the way I see it right now is we could be spending money better and how could that be happening? I bet we could get further by spending $1 million on a television commercial that could air all across Canada for people in Canada, and maybe even we could wake up some of those parliamentarians down in Ottawa to see what is really happening up here. I think our resource money is being stolen. There is no Robin Hood stealing from the Northwest Territories and giving it back to the people, Mr. Premier. I think our Prime Minister should...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise again today to bring forward some of my concerns to a shepherd of our Assembly. I raised many questions in my Member’s statement today. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Premier if he knows whether or not the federal government will deduct from our grants the resources and revenues that the territory may collect in the future -- I stress may -- from the pipeline even if we do get a resource revenue agreement and deal. What does he have to demonstrate certainty; not his gut feeling, certainty? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today because of an event that happened yesterday. The subject that I am going to talk about is certainly no stranger to this House. The sad thing is that it never gets enough air time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to talk today about the unsung heroes of this Legislative Assembly. Their names never get on any plaques. We never really talk about them very much. They never ever get paid. They very rarely get mentioned under any circumstance. Mr. Speaker, they are the backbone of every politician. Mr. Speaker, what I am really talking about is the commitment our...

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...