Robert Hawkins

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.

Thank you. I’m not after this particular issue of the last part of the statement. I’m talking about the broader picture, which is if incidents happen, what avails themselves to solutions? A bill, or I should say a tenants’ rights bill, may be the solution. That’s what I’m getting at. The Minister said any potential amendments coming forward wouldn’t be coming, probably at the earliest, before fall of this year. So that’s October or November.

So, in essence, what can the Minister do so we don’t have circumstances like this when your apartment, whatever the case may be, be it flood, who knows...

Mr. Chair, I move that the term “campaign material” be replaced by “election advertising” throughout the Elections and Plebiscites Act for greater clarity and certainty. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When I think of fracking, I’m often reminded of the saying “you can’t unring a bell.” What that basically means is that once you’ve done it, you’ve done it and you can’t take it back. As we all have come to learn, fracking is certainly not for everyone and not for every region where it could happen. So it puts the utmost importance upon each and every one of us to consider this problem.

Do we do it right or do we do it because we want it? I think this opportunity here is the chance to do it right. Everyone knows industry’s interests and industry wouldn’t be here in the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Mr. Bromley.

In the 2011 election, residents of 11 communities had only one opportunity to vote: on polling day itself. Residents of these communities are to be commended for the generally strong voter turnouts. However, all residents of the Northwest Territories should have comparable voting opportunity.

The committee requested that the CEO develop detailed recommendations for a new special voting opportunity to replace the provisions for advance polls in communities without a resident returning officer and populations of less than 500. The committee is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The issue I want to ask questions on today is a continuation of my Member’s statement. During my Member’s statement I talked about the importance of a health care card that is secure. I’ve promoted the idea before and I’ve done a fair bit of research recently. I found it quite interesting that British Columbia actually has a photo I.D. health care card, but what’s interesting about theirs in particular is they include their driver’s licence on it as well. It simplifies one’s life.

Ontario has been doing this since 2007 and they have many and critical pieces we don’t have...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m going to use the opportunity here to return to a subject I’ve raised in this House before and it’s the health care card issue.

In the past I’ve raised with the Health Minister, more accurately the former Health Minister, about the need to move towards photo ID cards. As many of us will remember, and certainly want to forget, the last health care card renewal was no thrill with any standard we should be looking back to as a benchmark. So we should use this opportunity to be planning forward with better health care cards.

The recent issue of cards, I believe, are good...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I referred to health care cards that are from Ontario as well as British Columbia. I have two samples. I have one sample here from Ontario – it’s a two-page document in colour – and I have a second sample here on a document from British Columbia. All people will be able to note the details that I discussed here and certainly the aspects the Minister of Health has agreed to investigate.