Robert Hawkins

Mr. Chairman, I think it’s the issue of up and leaving residency. I’m not talking about going for prolonged holidays or personal reasons: if there was a need that drew someone away, that’s obvious and reasonable. It’s the issue of packing one’s bags, selling their house and establishing roots — whether it’s a job or whatnot — elsewhere. That’s the issue, really. It provides an element of a double standard, whereas if an MLA in this room picked up and moved their residence to Alberta or B.C., Ontario, who knows where, they would have been deemed to have resigned. That’s really the clause I’m...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I wanted to talk about the Infrastructure Acquisition Plan and its format. We’re all familiar with the format of the Infrastructure Acquisition Plan, which lists each project individually along with the specific amount budgeted for each item. Projects range from $50,000 for a new patrol truck to millions of dollars for major infrastructure like schools. I’m concerned that this practice of publishing the budget for individual items may be preventing us from getting the best deal on our capital projects.

Suppliers, armed with the knowledge of the government’s maximum...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just a matter that has arisen, not specifically with every commissioner in one of these positions, but as an issue with some, and it’s the issue of residency. This is an area that’s, of course, the establishment…. The legislation would fall under the appointment process provided by the Board of Management and the Speaker. I was just wondering if the residency issue will be taken on as an issue in this next coming year, through the Speaker’s Office, through the Board of Management, to potentially update.

I think that has satisfied my concerns at this time. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, could the Minister provide some information as to how those five positions ended up, or where they ended up? Were they transferred? If the positions were reduced, what happened to the employees in those particular cases? Were they transferred to empty positions, vacant positions, or are they still in stasis at this moment, waiting for the completion of the budget? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I see that there’s a reduction of 11 positions. I just wondered if the Premier — or I should say, the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, in this particular case, but obviously one and the same — had any comment as to the strategy to review this reduction, and if he had any comment on the work that was done to ensure that either these positions weren’t necessary or, furthermore, that this work could be picked up by other staff.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My last comment for opening remarks is I want to make note that it's good to see some ecoTrust money going to some good projects. I'd enjoy the fact that Public Works is working very hard to develop options like heat pumps and selling more wood boilers. It may not be the only solution to our energy crisis and the way it is, but the territorial government, as we all know, pays a fair amount in oil costs and to operate buildings. If we can find a cheaper solution, that certainly is a payback — within a reasonable amount of time, that is — I certainly support. That's...

Mr. Speaker, if I said today — simply just today — how much money is there in any incentive program for any employer to come in and tap into, so they could use that to leverage their own money in order to hire summer students…? Because, I think, as highlighted by the Minister and me yesterday, the territorial government can’t employ all the students; it certainly isn’t reasonable. We’ve only been able to employ approximately 60 per cent of what we had last year. The private sector wants to take it up. So what programs exist today that they could call to tap into to hire these extra students?

Mr. Chairman, before I go into continuing my general comments, I would disagree with shutting a Member down. I feel that my privilege as a Member has been taken away and my rights are being stepped on. I would caution the Chair in that regard. Whatever advice is given to shut down a Member’s privilege of debate…. This would be an unusual exercise of that privilege, because I have not given it up. I am prepared to accept the position of the Chair, but I wish to highlight that before I continue.

Mr. Speaker, we heard a couple of programs, and they’re certainly good. But the private sector is telling me that they need more support, because there’s certainly enough work in their businesses and in the private industries to take on more summer students, as well as other types of programs. The principle, really, on this issue is: is the government making money available so the private sector can help supplement those summer student wages and maybe take on more summer students?