Robert Hawkins

Mr. Speaker, I'm asking the Premier what type of proactive aggressive campaign are we selling? When the territorial government went so far as building the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway, it wasn't just cap in hand saying we'll wait until they do this. Mr. Speaker, I'm asking the Premier is he willing to look at either striking a formal committee to get Members, including Cabinet, to work on an aggressive campaign to sell these types of initiatives. Because if we sit here and do nothing, that's exactly what we'll get, being polite, but we'll be overlooked. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, will be asking questions for the Premier. I'd like to reflect back my questions towards my Member's statement regarding NATO's 2 percent spending requirement. And for the record, I believe, if I'm correct, Canada currently commits 1.37 percent of our GDP towards it so we're -- that's billions of dollars falling short of that commitment. So my question for the Premier, Mr. Speaker, is simply what is the government doing on the projects and initiatives I had pointed out in my speech with respect to the Mackenzie Valley Highway, the Bathurst port, including the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I guess fundamentally the MLA from Range Lake has spoken quite well with respect to the issue. I mean, often we worry about convenience in the sense of, well, we could just move it along without proper tos and fros of good, valuable, discussion. And I think, really, the public's being denied this opportunity by this simple change. As he mentioned, we could do it through other forces by forcing it through through an actual vote, or we can make it part of the normal business given the fact that even if we don't do it, it's still there.

The -- I honestly see that currently...

Mr. Speaker, we all know housing opportunities don't runneth over. So in other words, there's not an oversupply in housing opportunities certainly here in the capital or even in the regions and small communities. Mr. Speaker, what was the delay specifically as to get this initiative off the ground and into the construction phase? Because the last major report we had on this was through the Premier's office where they were trying to evict the squatting tenants, as they say, so they could start construction. So can we find out what the delay was. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the Assembly -- if I said "Assembly", I want to make sure I was clear, I meant the sitting just so we're on the record. If the Minister meant the Assembly in two and a half years, I think, you know, that's the definition of bureaucracy in the sense of -- Mr. Speaker, can the Minister commit to bringing back a decision and direction before the end of this sitting? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, we have a lot of buildings. I'm not here to go through them all; maybe we didn't name the Legislative Assembly, but we have the Joe Tobie Building, we have the Arthur Laing Building, etcetera, etcetera. We even had the Jan Stirling Building, and she was alive at the time it was named in her honour.

Mr. Speaker, I'm asking the Minister to show some courage, some fortitude on this one, and just make a decision today and say I will find a way to get this done, that we honour our former Commissioner in that type of method such as naming a building, either new or renewed, in his honour...

Well, first of all, Mr. Speaker, this is the first time I've heard of this Cabinet team that's been selling this. I've not seen in one year any result to that. Hence I'll ask the question, would the Premier be willing to form a working group with some Regular Members so we can help push this initiative collectively and territorially so we don't miss this billion dollar opportunity. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, listening is great, but it doesn't put food on the table. It doesn't put gas in the car. It doesn't buy Christmas presents, etcetera, Mr. Speaker. So I'm going to ask the Premier what type of campaign is the territorial government doing through his department of executive to launch and suggest this is the best investment opportunity for the North, but it's also the best investment for them to help meet their 2 percent requirements. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with 971 days left in this Assembly, time moves along fast. But I say to this government, we need to be relentless and unapologetic for our fight for Northerners for a better tomorrow and certainly much better than yesterday was. Time is ticking away, Mr. Speaker. As our GDP does slip away, we need the government to take a full court press - not the wait and see policy we've lived with over and over and over again. Kind of a Groundhog's Day, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we need action, boldness, commitment, Mr. Speaker, without apology.

Mr. Speaker, Premier Doug...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, respectfully to the Premier, I hear what he is saying clearly about a recommendation of the government, but I would also semi disagree in saying this is a rule of the Assembly that all bills come with a name, so it's more of an Assembly process. Even though, yes, you are the stewards of the normal bills and normal process, and if we pass -- well, at the rate this Assembly is going, what, half a dozen bills in four years? I don't know. Or less. The principle being it's true 99 percent will come from the government, but I don't view this is a government...