Robert Hawkins

Thank you for that, Mr. Deputy Premier. Mr. Speaker, will the Deputy Premier be making a recommendation that this is an initiative that binds this Cabinet as well as potentially binds the future Cabinets from making those types of substantial decisions going forward? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned in my Member’s statement today, we have the legacy of the Deh Cho Bridge, the legacy of the board reform, and certainly the legacy of the direction that is applied to supplementary health benefits. As I said the day before, these are all issues that need to be discussed and reviewed; that is not the issue. The issue is substantial directions, as I have said today. Mr. Speaker, when can we expect the government to move on this initiative beyond the point of discussion or review or thinking about it? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With a quick glance coming into the Assembly, I can see a constituent, Mrs. Ruth Spence in the gallery and it looks like we have a recent addition of Mr. and Mrs. Larry and Cappy Elkin. Welcome to the Assembly today.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to item 8 on our agenda, oral questions. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent denied.

Mr. Speaker, I think we could have saved five minutes by just saying nothing. Mr. Speaker, honestly, this is very upsetting and certainly shameful. The Minister will keep telling this House and the people of the North that the silent majority support her. Mr. Speaker, I was camped out in front of the post office, Shopper’s Drug Mart and a few other places having people sign post cards. Lots of people signed it to tell the Minister to revisit this policy, Mr. Speaker. I only had maybe one or two people said they liked the direction. Mr. Speaker, there is not a silent majority on this issue...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On Tuesday, May 11th, I asked a question to the Minister of Health and Social Services regarding Section 5, in a very similar vein as Mr. Abernethy has. I asked the Minister of Health and Social Services, has she ever taken back some of these issues to Cabinet to revisit this change to the policy of supplementary health. In her answer on page 31, she remarked outstandingly with a clear absolutely. Mr. Speaker, of course, later during the day, I had asked if she could table those facts. Of course, she began to tell me no, how she can’t. Today in answering Mr. Abernethy’s...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When will the Cabinet be moving forward on some type of initiative that will stop them from making serious substantial Cabinet directions and changes while any government is out during an election period? Thank you. When?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I talked about an unaccountable legacy provided by the previous Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the issue really is that former Cabinet has made substantial policy initiatives and changes that have affected the incoming government. Mr. Speaker, my question will be to the Government House Leader, Mr. Miltenberger. Would he be willing to address this issue and pass a Cabinet directive to ensure that no future Cabinet can pass substantial changes to government policy while there is an election period on? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to reflect on the tumultuous life of the 16th Assembly. Cabinet, Regular Members and the public have had fierce debate on issues such as board reform, the Deh Cho Bridge and certainly the supplementary health benefits.

Our first budget sent the public service reeling with the threat of layoffs and cutbacks that seemed to come out of nowhere. Earlier this week, the YK Seniors, in collaboration with the Union of Northern Workers as well as many other concerned citizens, staged yet another protest, an excellent protest against changes to the supplementary...

Mr. Speaker, this isn’t about one family, and I want to make sure that that’s absolutely clear. You know, it may be about one family to the Minister, but as I proposed it, and the Minister has discussed with me that there are other families that this could apply to, so you can’t say it’s one family only.

I’m talking about when your loved one dies in Edmonton and we have to leave their family here in Yellowknife or we have to leave them in Inuvik, we have to leave them in Fort Smith, we have to leave them wherever, that we don’t unite the family. We don’t have any kind of policy. And that does...