Debates of March 27th, 2000

This is page numbers 297 - 344 of the Hansard for the 14th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was chairman.

Topics

Members Present
Item 1: Prayer
Interim Appropriation
International Rough Diamond Conference
Stanton Regional Health Board Chairperson
Education Week In The Nwt
Minister Absent From The House
Value Of Utilizing Preventative Measures In The Health Care Field
Telehealth Delivery Concerns
High Cost Of Medical Travel
Palliative Care
Community Services Boards
Doctor Shortage In Yellowknife
Dogrib Treaty 11 Comprehensive Claim Negotiations
Recognition Of Janet And Helen Wong
Expansion Of NWT Diamond Industry
Recognition Of Deh Gah School Pages
Item 4: Returns To Oral Questions
Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Travel For Non-medical Escorts
Mental Health Workers
Alcohol And Drug Treatment Centre
Aboriginal Foster Parent Recruiting
Recruitment And Retention Of Health Care Professionals
Telehealth Potential In The Nwt
Physician Shortage In Yellowknife
Community Health And Social Service Boards
Smoking Cessation Programs
Palliative Care In The Nwt
Incremental Cost To Health Boards
Revert To Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Written Question 12-13(2): Residents Of The Home For The Homeless
Item 8: Returns To Written Questions
Return To Written Question 1-14(2): Nunavut Contracts
Tabled Document 36-14(2): Policies Of The Board Of Management
Support For Pension Entitlements Due To Former Giant Mine Workers (carried)
Setting Of Sitting Hours By Speaker (carried)
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Traffic Volume On Northwest Territories Highways
Highway No. 3
Highway Strategy
Funding Discrepancies
Item 20: Report Of Committee Of The Whole
Item 22: Orders Of The Day

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Charles Dent

Charles Dent Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would hope that we are left with putting some emphasis on promoting tourism. I think there is a lot of room for us to do more than what we are doing.

I still have a few other questions. I know under activity 313, trade and investment, I see a number of contracts proposed. Again, it says they are full year contracts, according to the documentation we received. There is not a lot of explanation for them.

For instance, the contract for $25,000 to Alec MacPherson, or $20,000 to the Mackenzie Valley. I am just wondering if we could get some information about what these contracts are for. Could we get some confirmation as to whether or not the amounts shown here really are for the full year or if, like the Northwest Territories Arctic Tourism Marketing Strategy, funding that is not really a full year?

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair Leon Lafferty

The deputy minister, Mr. McLeod.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Bob McLeod

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I guess I will start with Mr. MacPherson. Mr. MacPherson is hired by the government and his costs are cost-shared by a number of departments. He provides advice in the trade and investment area. Also, he is located in Ottawa. In a lot of instances, we cannot make it to many of the meetings that are called in Ottawa. A lot of them are on very short notice and for short periods of time. So, we utilize Mr. MacPherson to cover those meetings and to report back to us. So his services save the government money in the long-run.

You mentioned there were four other ones. I am just looking for them here. Kirk Computers provides us with computer services assistance. Manufacturers Association, that is a core funding to the Manufacturers Association. Mackenzie Valley, we have contracted them to develop a report as to value-added opportunities related to natural gas development. That is a consultant service through the Science Institute, I believe. Thank you.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair Leon Lafferty

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Dent, your time is up. Mr. Miltenberger.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just to follow up on Mr. MacPherson, the deputy indicated that this was cost-shared. Is this figure, $25,000, the big figure other departments are charged back, or pay their share, or does Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development pay $25,000 and other departments pay similar amounts to this gentleman? Could the Minister or deputy clarify that Mr. MacPherson contract a bit further, please?

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair Leon Lafferty

The deputy minister, Mr. McLeod.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Bob McLeod

My understanding is that this is what we pay and we charge back. I believe the total amount of his contract is about $100,000 or $125,000 a year, or something in that range. Thank you.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair Leon Lafferty

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Miltenberger.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So, Mr. MacPherson in fact is paid $125,000 a year to attend meetings. This is just a portion of that $125,000 and that is cost-shared with other departments?

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair Leon Lafferty

Mr. McLeod.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Bob McLeod

Yes, that is my understanding. This is for a four-month interim appropriation, and we cost-share our work to other departments. Thank you.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair Leon Lafferty

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Miltenberger.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So between that gentleman and Mr. Elliott, there is $300,000, almost $400,000 in consulting fees. Is that correct? Not to mention the other folks here that are consultants that you have, which I am assuming are just a small fraction. Like Interpolar Consultants, for $20,000. I have a feeling that figure for the year is more like $80,000.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair Leon Lafferty

Mr. Minister.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Stephen Kakfwi

Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu

Thank you. This is a request through interim appropriation. It is based on what we had allocated last year. These are two areas, as I pointed out, requiring services of people who know the business that we do not, that are not currently available in the Northwest Territories. So we are contracting for those services. Thank you.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair Leon Lafferty

Mr. Miltenberger.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will save further comments on that particular item for the business plans. I have some questions on the trade missions, the $178,000 that is budgeted. What would be the total figure for the year? Is this, once again, based on current or historical spending patterns? What trade missions are in the works? Thank you.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair Leon Lafferty

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Minister Kakfwi.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Stephen Kakfwi

Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Apparently, because most of the trade missions are done in this first part of the fiscal year, this is roughly 70 percent of what we usually spend on an annual basis. Thank you.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair Leon Lafferty

Mr. Miltenberger.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So, since I have to do the basic math here, it is about $250,000. Could I ask the Minister to identify what trade missions they had planned for this year? Thank you.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair Leon Lafferty

Minister Kakfwi.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Stephen Kakfwi

Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu

Thank you. Some of the examples are, for instance, Minister Antoine is off on a trade mission to Alaska. We have had trade missions to the Yukon, which is also included in this current trade mission. I think there are trade missions to Nunavut and Greenland being planned. As well, in the past there have been trade missions to British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba. Thank you.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair Leon Lafferty

Mr. Miltenberger.

Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

The Minister made reference to some past ones, plus Mr. Antoine's current trade mission, which I assume comes out of the current fiscal year. He has identified possibly Greenland and Nunavut. Is that the extent of the anticipated trade missions for the coming year?