Robert Hawkins

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave notice of earlier today.

Unanimous consent granted.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I did hear the Minister cite a camp cook program with the Mine Training Society, but that’s not the Red Seal program that I’ve talked about and that he knows I’m referring to.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to be clear on the record today. Is this department fully committed to getting a Red Seal trades program for cooking here in the North, and are they fully committed and behind this project to make sure it will happen?

I’m glad to hear that the Minister supports trades, and I’m glad to hear that the Minister supports the potential of this program. When do you think we can actually hear or see something coming to fruition on this project? It’s an opportunity before us, and I’d certainly like to see the Minister move on this sooner than later. Can I expect something sooner than later from this Minister?

Thank you Mr. Speaker. In May of this year I raised the issue of the lack of trades programs in the field of cooking here in the North. At the same time, I also talked about the opportunities and solutions we have right here. However, in typical fashion, it seems that maybe another good idea has been lost in the grumbling bowels of government. What continues to be obvious to me is that there still are many gaps that need to be filled in our trades programming for those who want to learn more.

That is why, more than ever, a Red Seal trades cooking program needs to be supported. There is a hunger...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know, it’s funny. I keep hearing about this business planning process. It’s almost the same excuse I give my kids when they say: Daddy, buy me this; buy me this. I say: wait till Christmas; wait till Christmas. Everything from this side of the Cabinet is: oh, don’t worry; wait for the business planning process; it will take care of everything. I cannot wait for the business planning process. We are going to be so busy.

Mr. Speaker, if the Minister is too nervous or unwilling to say, “No, I don’t know what to say,” would he give us a clear answer and tell us and show...

Mr. Speaker, there are also other places — Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Quebec — that do this. I would look to the Minister and ask him where he is putting protection again. Is he putting it in the hands of protecting the producer, or is he going to look at finally putting it in the hands of the consumers?

You know, the choice is very clear. We can create consumer confidence, and that’s our job, here, to do this. So I ask the Minister again: will he review this file and take a look at the situation? If we do one single thing for protecting consumers, that’s the best thing we can do on this...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Northerners are reeling from the increased costs of gas, diesel and home heating fuel and are fearful for what this winter will bring. Not only does it cost more to put gas in our vehicles and to heat our homes, but these sky rocketing fuel prices are affecting and impacting the everyday cost of living of all Northerners. As a result of these high fuel prices, we are living with increases in electricity, food and other goods and services.

The bottom line is that this government needs to stand up for Northerners and protect them by introducing regulations that monitor and...

Mr. Speaker, I like how the Minister coins “market forces at play,” and I’m always interested in how market forces seem to be at play when you don’t get new fuel supply. The iceroad is not working; the ferry is not working, but those little fix-it things flapping around with the new price, and higher and higher and higher — that’s all market force? I think market force at play is called competition, not gouging.

Can this Minister today commit to putting something on the table right now that proves we’re protecting the consumer and we are showing that the consumers are not being protected and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to refer my questions back to my Member’s statement today, when I talked about regulation of our fuels here in the Northwest Territories. My questions will be directed to the Minister of Finance, who had asked me earlier to give him a reprieve on cost of living and tax questions. So my questions will be focused on fuel regulation.

This fuel regulation is something that will help balance the equation where fuel prices are high and consumer protection is low. I’d like to know what this Minister of Finance is doing to make sure we can bring fuel regulation to the...

Mr. Speaker, there seems to be little effort to go and attract new investment. It talks about playing with the tax numbers, but it wasn’t that long ago that we had people go out and look for businesses to file their taxes in the North. That has actually led to problems because we haven’t created a stable tax base. So what is this Finance Minister doing to attract big tax filers to come to the North and file their taxes in the North, and will we be the beneficiary of those corporate taxes that they pay?