Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Minister Roland. Page 11, Public Works, operations expenditures, asset management, $598,000, total department, $598,000. Agreed?

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, talk of an election always seems to kind of get people interested in what's going on, and a question came to me about electoral reform on a municipal level. So I wrote an e-mail to the Minister and he did reply, but I'd like to hear what the Minister's thoughts are about any potential municipal electoral reform that will be coming in the next little while. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Page 19, Environment and Natural Resources, operations expenditures, forest management, not previously authorized, $127,000, wildlife management, not previously authorized, $57,000, total department not previously authorized, $184,000.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Minister? Thank you. I now have Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Minister Roland. Mr. Braden, please.

Thank you, Minister. Minister Miltenberger, please.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I respectfully think that the Minister missed the point on the sole sourcing, because what I am saying is 92 percent of the business in Stanton Territorial Hospital went south. That took away any opportunity that these northern businesses had to tender or the opportunity to tender, I should say, on those contracts. That just flew right over them, Mr. Speaker. That is why I drew that comparison. Yes, BIP doesn’t apply to that, but BIP is about establishing solid grounds where northern businesses can be competitive. Mr. Speaker, I still go back to what I said on the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I'll definitely say anything that helps small business is certainly a good step. But, Mr. Speaker, there is a concern out there that this dropping of the BIP may be steamrolled and consultation may be just for formality. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to point out a couple of things. The Minister's tabled documents in this House have pointed out that Health and Social Services sole sources 77 percent of their contracts. A letter from Minister Miltenberger, which I tabled in this House, pointed out that 92 percent of their business at Stanton Territorial Hospital goes...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During AOC committee’s pre-budget consultation last year, an issue came up across the NWT and it was the need for more relevant programming in schools for our northern students. This includes northern aboriginal language, culture, land claim agreements, traditional skills and history of the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, this only makes sense that our youth be taught, in a coordinated way, our culture, history and current events of the North that they live in. Learning about southern Canada and other parts of the globe is very important too, Mr. Speaker, but it should not take such...