Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It makes me very proud to use the opportunity to recognize two of our youngest guests we have in the gallery today, my sons, McKinley Hawkins and his younger brother, Hudson Hawkins. Thank you.

It may be difficult to answer today, but I certainly wouldn’t mind hearing some creativity from the Premier on this particular issue. How do you think we could get the commitments made by the national parties out there to our northern citizens? I want to make sure that they earn the seat of Western Arctic. I don’t want anybody to get an easy ride and realize that the Government of the Northwest Territories is standing by supporting either one candidate and not another or, of course, making sure that the people have a full digest as to the commitments people are willing to make from a national...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I talked about past efforts to get northern issues on the table for discussion and certainly commitments during federal campaigns. In the past, former-Premier Handley has done this as well as, I’d like to note, even Premier Roland during the last election followed suit on the particular issue of raising questions to get responses from both candidates who are striving for that much coveted seat of Western Arctic and of course getting it from the national parties.

My question for the Premier is: does he intend to follow this particular...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The federal Finance Minister, Jim Flaherty, has announced that the federal budget will be tabled on March 22nd and accordingly there is a great deal of speculation about what the budget may contain and whether the opposition will support it in the end. As the budget is a confidence vote, then, clearly, if not one of the opposition parties support it, the government will fall and there will be an election this coming May.

As far back as 2004 I have spoken in the House about the importance of the Premier providing the Western Arctic candidates for the Member of Parliament...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve known most of the Leishman family most of my life; actually and I grew up with many of them, including Allisdair.

I could not put into words in any way the feelings and emotions that the Leishman family are going through in this particular case, nor will I try. This is quite a powerful experience that they’re going through and let us try to imagine in a way how horribly this has changed their whole life forever.

Allisdair, I remember him well playing hockey and I still envision him with the smile and excitement and jest he’s had. He’s was a great guy. I knew his...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Executive.

1.

Please provide details of the content of the department’s gender-based training program, a copy of materials provided to participants, and a copy of the instructor’s training module.

2.

Please provide a summary of the results of any evaluations completed by participants in the department’s gender-based training program.

3.

Please provide some examples of policies that have been modified or updated as a result of the gender-based analysis lens, noting specific changes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, with the research that I’ve done on this particular issue I’ve seen that the Manitoba government has empowered their municipalities to make these types of amendments. What I’m wondering is, first, I appreciate the commitment provided by the Minister thus far, but I’m wondering if he can take it a little further. If I’d provide that example and perhaps maybe if other people from industry support by providing other examples, would the Minister empower his own officials to see if they could do some work on this in advance of the upcoming NWT Association of Communities meeting, which...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I raised again the issue of a hotel tax. I feel very strongly that that could be one method our government could do to empower municipalities and give them a chance to raise new revenues to help encourage the tourism industry in good partnership with NWT Tourism. My question would be directly to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, because any modification for the municipal statutes, obviously, would be directed at him. Does the Department of MACA have a position on the possible amendments to the municipal statutes that could...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think when reading clause 4 and we talk about the ownership show, it basically makes sure that the dog is without any distress. I think that really speaks to the whole problem. An animal in distress is an animal in distress, period. I’m convinced that good judgment will prevail in this particular case. I think that I put my faith in the judgment of the courts if someone does bring forward a charge, an ill-directed charge and a charge that I think has fair and unreasonable interpretation of what distress means. I think any decent northern judge, which I believe in the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too rise in support of this motion. I’ve seen the fact that elders have a strong influence and a positive influence on our younger generation and I think at times people have gotten away from it and have missed out on great values that could be taught to them. Some of them are spiritual, but certainly emotional connections to family and practical connections that tend to get missed by people’s thirst for going forward with new technology and forgetting about the past. It’s the things about the past that link us as we go forward to the future to understand it. It’s...