Robert Hawkins

Mr. Speaker, one of the biggest problems is timelines, response to timelines, and money and resources for Indigenous organizations to be able to respond to any of these timelines and response to timelines and hence to avoid the perception of not interested or causing delays.

Mr. Speaker, I've given the Premier several ideas. Here's some. I'd like to hear the Premier's thought about trying to effectively grab on these as actionable items.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know the Premier, who I am going to direct my questions to, is going to say we're marshaling all resources and doing everything we can, but when we see Gahcho Kue do their announcement, we've seen that people accelerate the mining industry is shrinking and certainly the economy is on its rails, Mr. Speaker. I am asking the Premier what can he do to help fast track the relationships and the approval process we have with Indigenous governments and not give the old saying, we're doing what we can, we're doing this stuff now, because we need to see true results that are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's been a well-known secret within the department that the fire marshal does not do building inspections outside of the city of Yellowknife. The City of Yellowknife has its own process. So my question specifically is how long is this practice of refusal to do this because it's a well-known culture secret within the Department of Infrastructure as well as the GNWT, and I want to make sure this problem stops. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Recently, I raised with the Minister of MACA about how the NWT fire marshal's job is -- one of its responsibilities is to ensure about home -- or building inspections in the communities. I am looking forward to hearing what his plan is about filling the gap that they are not inspecting building plans and buildings in communities outside of their fire responsibility. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, just like my colleague from Range Lake had pointed out, exorbitant power fees, my concern and the concern of people is this, simply clearly, we can build it for any price, sure, but can we afford it and what kind of rate riders are going to be on this? So, Mr. Speaker, has that analysis been started, and when can we expect that analysis to be public to find out what the increased costs to the bottom line of Northerners' power bills will be? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, she is the one saying we're working together so there must be some information she can supply this House or this Member in particular. Mr. Speaker, I ask again, would the Minister prove that the fire marshal is comfortable and confident that those two locations are safe and Yellowknifers are -- and these individuals are not put at risk. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to return to the homeless encampments. To be clear, I didn't say unhoused - the homeless encampment.

Mr. Speaker, the one downtown and near Sir John and the one set up right underneath the transmission lines that come from Snare into the City of Yellowknife, Mr. Speaker -- those big lines, yes. Mr. Speaker, they continue to have fires there. They continue to have jerry cans there, and it continues to be a -- well, we'll say a mess. I think that's about the safest parliamentary word I will use today, Mr. Speaker. But the Minister knows what I am talking about.

So...

Mr. Speaker, it's difficult to feed your kids with trust, and it's hard to heat your home on hope, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, real tangible items would be to accelerate the MRAs. Mr. Speaker, real tangible ideas would be to accelerate maybe a junior investment program. Mr. Speaker, those are the types of acceleration processes I am asking for. Is there ways to accelerate that type of action to get better results or I should say any results. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the Gahcho Kue announcement yesterday is a clear signal, if not a message, that our mining sector is in trouble. Once the backbone of the NWT economy, Mr. Speaker, it is under enormous strain everyone can agree upon. This deeply troubling news for people like me, I see this strain may not be the right word, Mr. Speaker. There may be a different word to look at this particular case, more so is our economy is turning into a nonexistence. Once a strong resource economy is fading away. Further erosion of our NWT economy is I fear what is next.

This government doesn't seem to recognize...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And my happenstance, she led right into the last question I was going to have, so I will take those circumstances as a blessing.

Mr. Speaker, in the medical travel policy -- and for those following along, on page 4 -- it says the attending physician basically can prescribe and recommend a non-medical escort to participate in the treatment program of the individual. Mr. Speaker, in short, why is a policy maker somewhere behind the scenes -- acknowledging these requests have to be pre-approved -- I am acknowledging that. But why is a policy maker behind the scenes...