Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, he's talking about the public process. I'm talking about the direct appointment process that falls under the Executive Council ability to do so. And it's a bunch of recommendations all framework; I won't go through them today, we don't need to hear them, they know them, Mr. Speaker. But there's no public transparency on when they say a lady, you know, Joe Schmoe, whatever it is, is all of a sudden being recommended to a department. Do you agree? Agree. There's no transparency on it being done. There's no transparency on any potential accountability when it...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over the course of this Simpson government, they will be moving forward with probably hundreds of direct appointments. Previous governments have been known as if that's their hallmark to be proud of, these secret appointments.

My question for the Premier is how is the Premier going to bring some level of transparency to direct appointments that nobody knows about where they give permanent fulltime jobs to time we know nothing about until one day they just show up at work? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too wish to lend my voice to recognize the gentleman who is so well known to us, Mr. Anthony W. J. Whitford. He's many things to many of us, but very importantly to me he's been a friend for a very, very long time.

At the same time, I too wish to recognize Mr. Lafferty, or the grand chief for the Tlicho region. We go back to when we were kids. And he's a wonderful gentleman, and I'm glad to see him in the leadership in the Tlicho communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, let's use some easy numbers. The CERB payment was about $2,000 a month. That's about $500 a week. So the fire was about three weeks, and so if we use their $750 mark, that's 250 a week. So there's quite a bit of a disparity. There's a standard, a considerable one. But CERB was during COVID and people stayed home, so they didn't have to worry about driving out. That said, how can we justify and explain that $750 was an impact payment worthy of the expense that many people paid considering they pulled the government ordered people out of the Northwest...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I just want to follow up a little further on the evacuation travel support program. And I suspect now, the Minister was saying I didn't expect the question but that said, to be all fair in all fairness, she is the Finance Minister of this government and the last government and oversaw the programs, so I expect her to know some elements of the program.

So that said, the evacuation support program paid out $750 to people as a onetime sort of payment. How did they actually come up with that specific $750 for the impacts of individuals obviously per vehicle...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And by the way, I apologize, earlier I just restated the question, so it might have sounded like two. Mr. Speaker, my question the Minister says they track them, so then why do we have the department saying that they've issued payments when they haven't if they're tracking them?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess there's no wonder why I had the record questions asked a couple Assemblies ago. Enthusiasm.

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance. Mr. Speaker, I'm getting numerous emails and calls regarding the evacuation travel support program and the fact that people have applied two, three, four months ago and still haven't received payments. I'd like to hear how the Minister is tracking these lack of payments; in other words, does she know who's applying for this program, and can she explain why so many people are waiting so long for their actual $750...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if Cabinet's not actively doing their job, what are they doing? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my first question today will be focused to the Premier. It's been approximately three months and 20 days, or in other words a way of looking at it it's been about 113 days since the election was called. And the reason I define it that way is the public service hasn't had a direction from its leadership, its mandates, that I'm aware of. Now that said, one of the issues that the Premier does in their role is issue mandate statements. I'd like to ask the Premier has he issued ministerial mandate letters to the departments. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The North is a wonderful place and despite our struggles, it's a wonderful place we all call home. Now, the NWT isn't a wealthy territory in comparison to places like Ontario or even Alberta, you know, but we are wealthy in hearts and opportunities and resources and people, just poor in cash. Now things change over time, and sometimes we identify that as wisdom. But, you know, so when you're young you're adventurous at hearts and, you know, wanting to live in the fast lane, but as you get a little bit older, like people in this room, your priorities of riches change...