Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, asking for stats and information is not confidential when you don’t connect it to people’s names and when you have a pool of 14 people in a city as large as 20,000, it’s pretty tough to know who is who. On top of that, we don’t announce or publicize in any way the recipients of these grants. So we don’t say John Doe or Jane Doe received a grant. It’s very difficult to imagine how even to start to begin with how someone would connect a name with who potentially got this. So the bottom line is I think what’s being flaunted here is the word...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The committee encourages the Minister to continue lobbying the federal government for reasonable base funding for the NWT under the announced federal Day Care Program. It is abundantly clear to committee that the amount being offered as of today is woefully inadequate and will have no impact on the services and day care available to northerners.

Strong leadership is required to ensure that the NWT receives a sufficient amount to effect real change.

Over the past year, Members have become aware of several concerns with the Student Financial Assistance Program in...

Madam Speaker, I was so inspired with the happy answers from the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, I was inspired to write a written question. These questions are in reference to the past two fiscal years and are limited to the Yellowknife region only.

My question is for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation:

What is the total number of people turned away from the program, either disqualified by the department or the financial institution used to apply for a mortgage?

Of the number declined from the EDAP, what number were results of lack of available...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I will say thank you, Mr. Minister, for moving forward on that issue.

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Thank you, good Minister. Madam Speaker, would the Minister…I’m overwhelmed at this moment. He’s budged. Madam Speaker, the question I want to ask is would the Minister agree today to at his earliest convenience by next week, can he update this sort of Yellowknife information that I had requested in my written question of March 9th, which is asking the details on the Yellowknife recipients? So would he update the letter he had sent me under his signature that there was some typos in?...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, my questions will be for the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, the Honourable David Krutko. Madam Speaker, I am still concerned that there is zero transparency on this program and I’m not even sure I can quote any numbers because we don’t even know if they’re all correct. I’ve never been replied to with a new profile, a signed letter to say that they’re all correct. So, Madam Speaker, the point of transparency still stands. Will this Minister hear me when I say confidentiality is not an issue to be hiding behind, because if he goes...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, today is my last day in the House for this session, and it’s still EDAP day as far as I am concerned.

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Transparency, in my opinion, has been far beyond weak, it’s more like pathetic when it comes to finding out who is receiving grants and what scenarios and why. Madam Speaker, it took a week to produce a paper to say if you make more money you get less of a grant; if you make less money you get more of a grant. It took a week to produce this and this doesn’t say anything other than the obvious, Madam Speaker. It does not say if you have a...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I didn’t get satisfaction on the answer. Why didn’t the Minister, if he identified there was a mistake or a clerical error in the information, rush down to my office or send a note down to say there was a small mistake and we pause this issue for one moment until we get clear absolute numbers? Why didn’t I get that note on Monday if he says it appeared two days ago? Why didn’t he slow the process down, because I certainly would have given him the gracious opportunity to get the absolute number? Why didn’t he come speak to me about that? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I want to applaud the Minister for clarifying that because no one is above making an error, and certainly a clerical error could happen to anyone out there, and I’m certainly not perfect myself. That being said, this whole issue about the transparency of this program, I’m still trying to get justification as to why we give such large grants to so few. So, Madam Speaker, I ask the question to the Minister, why are we giving such large grants to so few and would he provide those details of transparency so we can move forward on this issue? Thank you...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I guess what I’m getting at is the City of Yellowknife may feel the pressure of the Yellowknives Dene and their right to entitlement of land, so maybe they haven’t applied for those particular lands, recognizing there is a right. Yet the City of Yellowknife is going back and looking seriously at its nature preserves and its green space. I’m looking for the Premier to make sure he plays a role in this process. I’m asking the Premier in his capacity of possibly Minister of Aboriginal Affairs to make sure that the selection process goes forward and we can get that moving...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. As I was saying in my Member’s statement today, I am concerned that possibly we could be reaching an area of stalemate between the City of Yellowknife and the Yellowknives Dene. I firmly believe the Yellowknives Dene have a right to land, and land that belongs to them and their personal development, so do I believe in the growth of the city of Yellowknife and I’d hate to see that impeded in any way. My question to the Premier is would he use his mediation skills, talents and abilities to help mediate the situation before a stalemate reaches an untimely death? Thank...