Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Oral question to Mr. Kakfwi, Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development. Mr. Minister, on your return to my oral question, you leave the impression in your return that Mr. Handley and Mr. Sigurdson, the general manager of the Arctic Canada Trading Company Ltd., made these decisions in isolation of yourself, so my question is, did you have any involvement at all in briefing or in consultation with your deputy minister, Mr. Handley, the acting president of the Northwest Territories Development Corporation, in any of these decisions on the closure or the giving away of stores to the Arctic Canada Trading Ltd.'s southern outlets? Did you have any involvement at all? Thank you.
Question 124-13(7): Ministers Involvement In Decisions To Close Retail Outlets
In the Legislative Assembly on April 26th, 1999. See this topic in context.
Question 124-13(7): Ministers Involvement In Decisions To Close Retail Outlets
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 329
Don Morin Tu Nedhe
Question 124-13(7): Ministers Involvement In Decisions To Close Retail Outlets
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 329
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
The Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Kakfwi.
Return To Question 124-13(7): Ministers Involvement In Decisions To Close Retail Outlets
Question 124-13(7): Ministers Involvement In Decisions To Close Retail Outlets
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 329
Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There were a number of decisions that were made going back to the time when Mr. Soloy was still president of the Development Corporation. It would not be possible for me to say categorically that I was not involved in any discussions. I may have been informed by Mr. Soloy, I may have been informed by Mr. Handley that they intended, as acting managers or as the principle executives in charge of these operations, to carry out these actions. Unless I know what the Member means by being involved it is not possible to say categorically, but I will check with my staff to see if, in fact, we were informed, if there were any meetings that we had where these decisions were brought to my attention, and if I actually had anything to say about them. Thank you.
Return To Question 124-13(7): Ministers Involvement In Decisions To Close Retail Outlets
Question 124-13(7): Ministers Involvement In Decisions To Close Retail Outlets
Item 6: Oral Questions
April 25th, 1999
Page 329
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Morin.
Supplementary To Question 124-13(7): Ministers Involvement In Decisions To Close Retail Outlets
Question 124-13(7): Ministers Involvement In Decisions To Close Retail Outlets
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 329
Don Morin Tu Nedhe
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It may not have the glitter and everything else that goes along with diamonds, but the NWT Development Corporation is an very important development corporation for our small communities, Mr. Speaker, and I advise the Minister that he should attempt to pay a little bit of attention to it. Also, just to go back, Mr. Speaker, on whether he wanted to pay any attention or if he was willing to or not, I do not know, but the Northwest Territories Development Corporation has an act that ultimately the Minister is responsible for. Under the act, Mr. Speaker, the board should develop guidelines for the sale of subsidies or a portion of the shares it owns as a subsidy and the shares or any other interest the Corporation owns in a business enterprise. The guidelines are subject to approval of the Financial Management Board.
This is a fairly straightforward question, I am sure he can kick his memory into gear because he would have to sign a Financial Management Board paper off, and he would have to pay attention because it is not that detailed of an issue. Did he take the change of the Arctic Canada Trading Company Ltd. to the Financial Management Board as required under the act, as required under the act that gives him the right, as a Minister, to ultimately be responsible to the NWT Development Corporation. Thank you.
Supplementary To Question 124-13(7): Ministers Involvement In Decisions To Close Retail Outlets
Question 124-13(7): Ministers Involvement In Decisions To Close Retail Outlets
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 329
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
Mr. Kakfwi.
Further Return To Question 124-13(7): Ministers Involvement In Decisions To Close Retail Outlets
Question 124-13(7): Ministers Involvement In Decisions To Close Retail Outlets
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 329
Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is true that as a Minister I am responsible for the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, and also the NWT Development Corporation. I have always taken these responsibilities very seriously, but it is not possible to micro-manage the operation of the department at every level. As a Minister, I have a deputy minister and the president of the Development Corporation, that are in charge and responsible and well paid to manage the day-to-day operations and the staff in the departments and the Development Corporation. That is the way the government works and the Member, as a former Minister and Premier knows that better than anybody else. The details that he wants are not available to me. I will take the question as notice and again, I will be prepared to give him a full written response. Thank you.
Further Return To Question 124-13(7): Ministers Involvement In Decisions To Close Retail Outlets
Question 124-13(7): Ministers Involvement In Decisions To Close Retail Outlets
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 329
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
Thank you. Can I ask all the Ministers in responding to the Members' questions, if they are going to take it as notice then the Minister does have an option of taking it as notice, answering or declining to answer it, but not a mixture of
all three. The question is taken as notice. Oral questions. Mr. Erasmus.