Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I highlighted in my Member's statement today, there are a lot of concerns, as I see it and RVers see it coming to Yellowknife, with that Highway No. 3. Mr. Speaker, some sections are very good; I’ll say that for a fact. But some sections are very less good let me tell you, Mr. Speaker…

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, that highway cost us approximately $200 million and I’d say that’s probably $200 million well spent on a dust control program but not a highway, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, I’d like to know, has the Minister of Transportation done any work in finding out...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I move that clause 120 of Bill 6 be amended by renumbering subsections (1.1) to (3) as subsections (2) to (4) respectively.

Mr. Chair, protection of the worker and falling in the direction of the worker when it’s sort of a judgment call needs to always be a philosophy and this act works to achieve that direction. I won’t go into length about some of the adjustments, but some of the changes that we’re now making new strides are we’re now putting money into expert medical advice, legal advice. WCB has become sort of an innovator, I’d like to say, because as presumption of occurrence and diseases have changed, I mean dealing with conflicting medical opinions is a new stride on how we are moving forward.

So, Mr. Chair...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think all through this we’ve missed the answer of how we’re going to fix this and how we’re going to deal with it. We’re going to hear just sit and wait, but we just had a mission accomplished or a big celebration last year. Well, Mr. Speaker, yes, it was a great celebration that it sort of got done, but when are we going to actually go back and just finish the job? So how much is it going to cost to fix and when are we going to get started on that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Transportation reads that script very well. I almost believe him. But I didn’t. So, Mr. Speaker, the fact is the warranty of this project seems to have gone by the wayside. I’d like to know was there a warranty in place or did we get a second-rate job at a second-rate price? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am hearing from RVers and others who have been bottoming out on the Highway No. 3’s dips and ruts. My concerns are twofold. Firstly, this is a newly paved road. I don’t think we should be experiencing these kinds of problems so soon after completion. Secondly, I am concerned about what is being done to our tourism industry image. RVers are in contact with each other about facilities and road conditions. It is a huge community, Mr. Speaker. We would do well to pay attention to their concerns. The Japanese are being turned away from Canada and they are looking...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am going to be voting against the motion. As far as I am concerned, if the communication plan didn’t work out in this particular case, I don’t want to put the whole plan at risk. We should write maybe a strongly worded letter, but the bottom line is if we put our industries at risk, take our aurora industry, they are barely surviving as it is and here they are trying to open up new markets. For over three and a half years, I have been saying let’s find new opportunities and try to expand it. Yet, here we are saying no when they are looking at a new opportunity and...

Wait until I make the statement. It’s a good news statement in the sense that there’s some satisfaction that the government is dealing with it and I think our employees are the ones that feel the integrity was not there for some time, but yet the response being the government has chosen to go back to the original program, the one that obviously works. So there is a satisfaction out there that it’s being dealt with. I think that also needs to be highlighted here.

Now there are other questions Members are raising and I don’t want to underscore the validity of those. They’re very important...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a number of documents to table today. Application for federal Crown land dated July 6, 1970; a letter to Mr. Bill Malloch, February 12, 2000; a letter to the lands department of MACA, May 15, 2003; a letter to Randy Look from the Department of MACA dated June 10, 2003; a letter from the Member for Great Slave to Vince Steen dated July 17, 2003; a letter to Mr. Andy Tereposkey dated October 23, 2006; an application for Commissioner’s land made out July 11, 2007; a letter to Andy Tereposkey dated July 11, 2007; a letter to the Morin family from MACA dated...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I have to admit that was a mirthless answer but yet I was intrigued because there sounded like something there. But, Mr. Speaker, the fact is this Minister could say today, yes, we will look into this and, yes, we will make something happen. That is all that we are asking for, because this family is about to lose everything. It is going to cost us a heck of a lot more if we mop up the mess later. So let’s do something today. Let’s be proactive and let’s not see this family destroyed. Yes. That is all the Minister has to say. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--...