Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask questions to the Minister of ECC about encampments.

Mr. Speaker, the GNWT has designated Commissioner's land as a place to go, so in other words they're actually sanctioning encampments on Commissioner's land. And by directing them in that particular area, there must be some responsibility that is taken. So knowing for a fact there are propane tanks, jerry cans stored properly -- improperly to be clear, open fires, and there's waste that's spilling on to private property that the private property owners have to be now responsible for, what...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Where do I begin my disagreement? There are so many spots. But I have to pick one; I'll start with the last one.

Shame on the government saying that they're going to vote -- you know, take this recommendation, abstain from it. At least be on the record that you're voting it down. It's a shame. Politicians are meant to make decisions, and often I see the -- when people abstain, such as the Cabinet, the citizens see it as a very sincere disappointment. At least stand somewhere on the issue.

Mr. Speaker, the decision made by -- or I should rather coin it as the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This Pharmacy Act update, including the regulations, is very important to me and many of the constituents that I talk to about this, and they would like to be able to see the system move faster and more responsive. Can the Minister tell me that -- is the regulation update the only thing holding this from being implemented? Or sorry, I should say, Mr. Speaker, holding it back from being implemented? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Transitional housing, given what I've heard today, sounds like the whole idea is to help you out. But is it to help you out just to get you in the public system forever, or is it designed to help you out so you can become independent and, you know, a contributor or balance the appropriate needs in your lifestyle and your family in the community on your own with the independence philosophy? Can the Minister help with that? Because all I know is people, once they get into transitional housing, it's almost like they're there forever. So I need some clarity on that. Thank...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm going to ask the Minister of housing about transitional housing. So why don't we just start with the question, what is the minister's understanding or definition of transitional housing? Because we hear that phrase all the time. So we want to make sure we're talking about the same thing and the right thing. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I think what was missed in that really good extensive and long answer was when was the last time this number was looked at. Maybe I'll ask it this way: When was it $18 a day for your meal per diem, the whole meal day; when was that set? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm comfortable with that answer. I mean, it is in flux, and I'll be fair to that point. It's tough to nail it down exactly. But, Mr. Speaker, Indigenous organizations and their economic wings aren't a number in flux, and they're very easy to define. Is there any details on how many Indigenous organizations, including their corporations, will be impacted by this? In essence, the numbers that will be affecting them and their smaller communities ultimately is what I'm trying to get at and that does affect Yellowknife, but it also affects the regional Indigenous...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it recently came up on my Facebook about places that have talked about the closure of the diamond mine, and there's one scheduled -- there's a public discussion scheduled in a few weeks here about the impacts on the community. And, Mr. Speaker, it kind of makes you wonder about how many jobs are going to be lost in this process because we have, as potentially scheduled, Ekati at 2027, Diavik at 2026, and I think Gahcho Kue is in early 2030. So, Mr. Speaker, my question for the Minister of ITI is how many potential jobs will be lost through this process that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If someone went out on the Ingraham Trail and built a permanent structure, and one example I'll give is the tree house tower of some sort, out of building material and other types of things -- who knows what it's made out of; it doesn't look safe -- the Department of ECC would be instructing that that had to be cleaned up, torn down, etcetera. So why are these structures being allowed on Commissioner's land because they're downtown Yellowknife but if it was on the Ingraham Trail, they'd be posting an order to clean up? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to try to recognize each session -- or, you know, to the best of my ability, one of the interpreters, one of my friends, Ms. Sarah Cleary. She puts in an enormous amount of work keeping up with us. Sometimes when we get going too fast, I do worry about the hard work she has to do, but I'm very grateful that Sarah here is representing her language and the spirit of her community, and she's a Sahtu constituent in Yellowknife. So anyway, I'm always grateful to see her. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.