Robert Hawkins

In 2004, there were over 50,000 passengers and cargo flights landing in Yellowknife. This year, the number of flights grew by 30,000 flights because the winter roads closed early. A lot of these flights flew over Yellowknife waking babies, upsetting parents and causing a serious amount of noise pollution. When and if the pipeline goes ahead, flights over Yellowknife will only seriously increase.

Last year, the diamond mines were only able to get about two-thirds of their vehicles that they required in to get their freight and resupply ready. That forces them to find extra alternative ways to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister earlier said it was approximately $100 million spent in resupplying the mines this spring and summer, Mr. Speaker. I think it’s a shame that that money is being spent in that regard. We could be putting it into real infrastructure, Mr. Speaker. When we have a Prime Minister who says if we do not approve the pipeline, there will be no resource deal, so, Mr. Speaker, let’s turn that around and say if the Prime Minister doesn’t approve infrastructure and a resource deal for the NWT, we should say no pipeline, Mr. Speaker. Let’s show him who truly is standing...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I was getting to in my Member’s statement, I was talking about this government not taking a sit down approach when dealing with the federal government. Mr. Speaker, we need year-round access to our mining corridor and, Mr. Speaker, we need a Transportation Minister to deliver that message. So to start to get to some of the answers to these questions, can the Minister tell me if his Department of Transportation has any preliminary estimates or any information on how much industry has spent this spring and summer because of the loss of their winter road access through...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I really appreciate that answer from the Justice Minister. Mr. Speaker, the Minister did talk about bringing forward a proposal to the Social Programs committee. My next question would be, although he sort of answered it just for clarity of course, can the good Minister foresee that new legislation or a new act would be brought forward in the life of this Assembly to deal with this crime problem? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last June I urged Justice Minister Bell to follow the lead of other Canadian jurisdictions and bring forward a Safe Communities and Neighbourhood Act for the NWT, along with effective enforcement tools.

I proposed this new initiative so we could bring community empowerment back to folks and take it away from those drug dealers and crack houses from trying to take over our communities. Mr. Speaker, I asked the Justice Minister to move quickly on this discussion paper and to bring a bill with the hope that new legislation could be implemented in this Assembly in a timely...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, this is an initiative that's welcomed by my constituents. When the Premier had mentioned it the other day, I actually got a couple phone calls yesterday. The concern is that we've got these cockroach drug dealers in our communities and we have to get that infestation out, and by putting the light on it, they scurry away. So we're dealing with them, Mr. Speaker. To me, it's finally putting the light on crime and we're cracking down. So my last question, I think, to the Minister of Justice, is what type of consultation in the sense of partnership is he...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have to first start off by saying I am so excited to hear that the government is responding to demands from MLAs in fighting the crime, Mr. Speaker. So on the heels of my Member's statement today, I'm quite taken aback because sometimes Members bring forward discussion ideas and proposals and I was so pleased that the Premier brought forward the safe communities initiative in his opening statement. So my question, then, to the Minister of Justice would be, Mr. Speaker, what are some of the details and timelines of a proposed new bill on Safe...

Thank you, colleagues. I really appreciate that. Thank you, and I will keep it to one question; I promise. Mr. Speaker, during oral questions earlier, I had asked the Minister of Health and Social Services questions about the territorial dementia centre that was planning to go in Yellowknife. The Minister said, on my unedited hand notes here, he said that the dementia centre is now on the capital plan. Those were his words in this House when I asked about it getting on the plan and getting on with it. So he said "now on the capital plan." Can he tell me where that is, where I'll find it...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I say this with respect both to the Minister and other departments, but I don’t really care about other departments when I talk about the Health Minister. I want to hear about the Health Minister’s priorities. I know other Ministers will be kicking on the Finance Minister’s door if they heard there was one single dollar available for any of their projects or programs. I would like to hear from the Minister. With respect to other departments, like I say, I don’t care about that. I want to hear about the facility for the dementia centre. What is he doing to kick down...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know the Minister was in the House yesterday when our Finance Minister gave his statistical update. Mr. Speaker, I know he must have heard the Finance Minister say we had $18 million higher than our original projection. So what is the Minister doing about putting this dementia centre up on the priority list? What is he doing to knock down, kick down at whatever, get that door off to speak to that Finance Minister to make this project a real go? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.