Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Minister Roland. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I would just like a little information on page 9 with the special warrants under regional operations. First, I believe this is the only special warrant in this complement package, and I wish to acknowledge that. As Regular Members, we don’t like special warrants, so I am very pleased to see that. I should say up front, as well, is that I have no concern with us fronting the money because I see it as an issue with the short term, whereas the repairs need to be done to ensure that the community of Whati gets their community hall up and running and we can...

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister Roland.

Does committee agree that Bill 16 is ready for third reading at this time?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, while reducing the taxes to small business, again I say, a darn good thing, but, Mr. Speaker, we have to make a solid point on this. You have to be getting contracts in order to have something to deduct in order to make that two percent reduction worth anything.

Mr. Speaker, I don’t have to go through the statistics I said the other day, as well as just earlier, that the Minister does monitor through the registry of the sole sourcing and the sourcing that goes south at 92 percent for Stanton. Would the Minister consider options such as maybe replacing the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today will be for the Minister of Industry, Tourist and Investment. This morning I received an e-mail regarding the potential dropping of the BIP, Mr. Speaker, and it appears several small businesses are concerned, in the e-mail that I received. It looks like it may be replaced by a two percent reduction, from this e-mail that I have before me. So, Mr. Speaker, my question to the Minister is, how is this idea being floated out to northern businesses about the potential dropping of the BIP and replacing it with a small two percent reduction...

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...