Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Minister talking about an annual basis, a global basis, but, Mr. Speaker, this crisis wasn’t here a year ago. This is why I’m stressing that we need action today to avert the crisis of the spending we’re going to need to do and make up and borrow in the new year. Mr. Speaker, bills are doubling, oil and fuel bills are doubling. Mr. Speaker, I need some type of commitment that we will do this up front before we get the bills. We’ll turn down those lights. The Legislative Assembly glows all night long. Let’s turn those lights down. This...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for his overview of an annual basis but, Mr. Speaker, I’m referring to the crisis of oil prices. We need an action plan, a new policy, that looks at everything from idling our cars and trucks, our buildings, by turning our lights off, by turning our fuel heat registers down a little bit. We’d be foolish to think that there wouldn’t be a rider on this year’s power bill due to the oil prices. What is the Minister doing to avert this potential crisis that we’ll be seeing in endless amounts of supplementary appropriation bills or special warrants to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, I, too, wish to acknowledge Mr. Whitford. From my understanding, Mr. Whitford has an extra smile on today and I believe he got a special phone call, so I think this Assembly needs to recognize Mr. Whitford. He will explain the phone call later to all Members, but I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot more of him. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess then that’s fine. I must not have been able to hear it on this side of the House without my earpiece. What I will say is kudos to our Premier, because without us having a letter out there to say we want to know more, it’s difficult to make good policy. So I will lend my support to the Premier of seeking further information at this time. He can have my support on that basis, and we will proceed to the next level when we get to see the letter and we get the reaction from Ottawa on that potential briefing some day. Thank you, no question.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise again today because I have a question for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Yesterday I talked about my concerns about the shortage of doctors in emergency rooms and in clinics. Mr. Speaker, a national physician survey conducted by the College of Family Physicians in Canada, the Canadian Medical Association, and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons basically said there was an alarming state in regards to doctor supply. In brief, there were two serious observations: 21,000 doctors were surveyed, and 60 percent of them are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will now be looking for the Minister to go over the top from whelming me to overwhelming me. Will the Minister commit that by the new year he will investigate and have a report back on developing a policy based on national standards for our social housing for people with disabilities in regard to accessibility issues? Will he commit to having that done by the new year so we have something once he’s had a chance to investigate it? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is in line with all the other Members here on theme day for the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation. Mr. Speaker, I’m looking for a commitment from this Minister. Will this Minister develop a policy that will meet the existing standards based on accessible living for people with disabilities in social housing? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, speaking from a territorial perspective now, what are we doing about the small communities that suffered these services? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this survey noted that 26 percent of the doctors are scaling back their service in the next few years. Mr. Speaker, only four percent are looking at increasing the service. Historically doctors have been known to work 70 and 80 hours per week, whereas now they are working barely 50. Mr. Speaker, what is the department doing? I would like to hear a concrete plan of what they are doing as an action plan to bring new doctors to the Northwest Territories, recognizing that 60 percent are scaling back and 3,800 are potentially retiring within two years across...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll say thank you, Mr. Minister, for that commitment. Mr. Speaker, I’ll ask for one more commitment from the Minister responsible for Housing in which he did refer to private industry being able to access a pot of funds or a pot of money in order to allow social housing to happen in private buildings. Will he commit to investigate the possibility of applying that policy to anyone who accesses this funding to have those folks in their buildings? Will he commit to seeing that that policy can apply to them as well as in the private industry? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.