Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I said in my Member’s statement that the net effect would actually be awash because our growth and our federal grant transfer would actually cover the cost of those teachers. May I also briefly remind the Minister that he had pointed out in his February 6th statement that in 2013 we continued to lose population? What’s happening here is, year over year over year we continue to lose population.

My last question is simply this: Where have there been any results of population growth in the Northwest Territories under the tenure of this McLeod government?

I was proudly educated in the Northwest Territories, growing up in Fort Simpson and in Yellowknife. My education taught me that negative 218 persons is a lot. So when the Minister says to me – and remember, this is the gentleman in charge of our books and our finances – we’re not losing ground, perhaps the Minister of Finance can explain how a loss of 218 people isn’t a loss to the Northwest Territories and the Northwest Territories isn’t losing ground. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m going to take the opportunity to recognize constituent Julie Green. She’s been a wonderful woman, she does a lot of great things in the city and I think she spends a lot of time with the YWCA. At this time I’ve forgotten her position so I won’t try to name it, but I will say that she has an enormous impact in the North for women and their rights.

I’d like to recognize two missionaries in the back of the gallery I can see there. They are both from the United States doing good work here in the Northwest Territories. They are Elder Ames and Elder Anderson, and although...

Yellowknife’s population has relatively remained the same and we’ve been fortunate only on the principle that we’ve had growth from the communities. That’s terrible, because where the real impact is happening is in the communities. Getting the jobs out to the communities will have a positive effect on the whole territory, every single program we need.

In my Member’s statement today, I said let’s put two teachers in every single school. That would bring new families to every community; that would bring new job growth, new vitality and new cash on the ground where people spend money. There’s an...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Under clause 4, the addition or change where we’re requiring to provide names and addresses, in some cases, for example, in a prison, how would this work conversely? How would it work, for example, in a shelter of some sort where people are staying there for a long time? Thank you

I move that Committee Motion 86-17(5) be amended by adding the words “where and when practicable” following the words “in their financial reports to Elections NWT.”

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to first begin by saying thank you to the Member for Mackenzie Delta, who has brought forward some of his concerns. I appreciate him supporting this motion by seconding it. It’s an honour to have a community Member like him working together because we certainly see the issue as a whole in the sense that we all want good education programs for our youth. There’s no doubt in my mind that every Member here supports educational opportunities for our young people.

We heard clearly from the chair of the Aboriginal Head Start program that she is calling for a pause...

Thanks, Mr. Chairman. As we are discussing the motion here, it never occurred to me before now, and I think this motion needs a couple of words, which are “where practicable.” I think in some cases that accredited financial institutions becomes challenging if you are in a small community.

We did talk about the challenges a community candidate would have. If they are in a small community and they are given cash as a donation, they write a receipt, obviously, and then they need money for gas to go somewhere. The money didn’t flow directly through the bank and get on the statement through that...

Mr. Speaker, the Minister is well within his ability to say I’m going to examine this issue in the public’s good, but maybe he’s more interested in I don’t know what. I’m not going to suggest anything, I’m just saying I don’t know what he’s more interested in. Maybe he doesn’t think that people are important. I do, and I’m certainly sure he’s going to stand up and say he cares about them as well. But all I’m asking him to do is take this initiative very seriously that we should have some type of tenant bill of rights, because when a tenant is shown the door due to construction or delay or...

Mr. Chair, I move that campaign financing provisions of the Elections and Plebiscites Act be drafted in plain language with a view to improving a logical consistency. Thank you.