This is page numbers 1105 - 1142 of the Hansard for the 14th Assembly, 6th 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 justice.

Topics

Supplementary To Question 348-14(6): Resident Territorial Court Judge Required In Hay River
Question 348-14(6): Resident Territorial Court Judge Required In Hay River
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 1118

Paul Delorey

Paul Delorey Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we are all aware, there is a number of positions in Hay River with the courthouse that are there specifically because there was a resident judge in Hay River. Could the Minister give us some assurance, some commitment in the House, that there is not going to be any loss of jobs in Hay River because of the resident judge going into retirement? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary To Question 348-14(6): Resident Territorial Court Judge Required In Hay River
Question 348-14(6): Resident Territorial Court Judge Required In Hay River
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 1119

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Allen.

Further Return To Question 348-14(6): Resident Territorial Court Judge Required In Hay River
Question 348-14(6): Resident Territorial Court Judge Required In Hay River
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 1119

Roger Allen

Roger Allen Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I stated earlier, the importance is we have to consult with the newly appointed chief judge. He administers his judiciary. We will continue to advocate the need to support the Member's questions and I will continue to raise that with the departmental officials in our continued liaison with the chief judge. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 348-14(6): Resident Territorial Court Judge Required In Hay River
Question 348-14(6): Resident Territorial Court Judge Required In Hay River
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 1119

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Brendan Bell

Brendan Bell Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my statement earlier, I talked about the need to make sure there is departmental collaboration in the social envelope because of the immense needs we have in that area as a territory. I am not sure who the lead Minister might theoretically be if we had a social envelope Ministers' committee, but I'll put it to the Minister of Health and Social Services. I'd like to ask him how many times in the past four years he believes that the social envelope Ministers have met with the express purpose of dealing with collaboration across their respective departments? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Return To Question 349-14(6): Collaboration By Social Envelope Ministers
Question 349-14(6): Collaboration By Social Envelope Ministers
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 1119

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issue is by my colleague in terms of the social envelope and the benefits of collaboration and cooperation is a concept that has not reached its full potential yet. We are still working on that. While we meet on issues on a regular basis, we have not, to my recollection, in almost two years sat down and had a formal social envelope Ministers' meeting. Thank you.

Return To Question 349-14(6): Collaboration By Social Envelope Ministers
Question 349-14(6): Collaboration By Social Envelope Ministers
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 1119

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Bell.

Supplementary To Question 349-14(6): Collaboration By Social Envelope Ministers
Question 349-14(6): Collaboration By Social Envelope Ministers
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 1119

Brendan Bell

Brendan Bell Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think we are all trying not to chuckle here, but it is clear to all of us we've been into the hall Cabinet, their desks are so close together you could throw a net over the four of them, Mr. Speaker. When I see that the Department of Justice is reprofiling what it does at some of its facilities and I think it has to do this, I wonder if that reprofiling meets the test of government priorities or social envelope priorities or just the Department of Justice priorities. I'd like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services if he had any involvement or discussion about the use of those facilities with the Department of Justice? Thank you.

Supplementary To Question 349-14(6): Collaboration By Social Envelope Ministers
Question 349-14(6): Collaboration By Social Envelope Ministers
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 1119

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 349-14(6): Collaboration By Social Envelope Ministers
Question 349-14(6): Collaboration By Social Envelope Ministers
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 1119

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, we do in fact meet on issues regularly and the issue of facility reprofiling is one that I've discussed with the Minister of Justice, also the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, I've also discussed it with the Minister of Finance and the deputies have met. It's been identified that this is not a departmental issue, it is a government-wide issue where we have facilities, as the Member so accurately pointed out, in different program areas in justice, in childcare. We have some facilities; the Housing Corporation has a mortgage that we are paying for that is underutilized. We haven't planned a function to undertake which our deputies have initiated and we want to take a thorough look, not only in Yellowknife, but in Inuvik, Fort Smith, Hay River and Deline where we have facilities where they aren't being used to their capacity and we recognize that as an issue.

While the social envelope Ministers haven't met on a thorough basis for broad strategic planning on this particular issue, there has been discussions and we are clearly trying to anticipate and do some proper planning on this issue. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 349-14(6): Collaboration By Social Envelope Ministers
Question 349-14(6): Collaboration By Social Envelope Ministers
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 1119

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Bell.

Supplementary To Question 349-14(6): Collaboration By Social Envelope Ministers
Question 349-14(6): Collaboration By Social Envelope Ministers
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 1119

Brendan Bell

Brendan Bell Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I certainly think that this is an effort that we need to pursue in the next government because it is too important to watch our limited capital dollars be squandered and to see other programs that are desperately needed not be able to find homes, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to ask the Minister for his commitment to work with his other social envelope colleagues in ensuring that this becomes a priority for the transition plan so that the next government isn't left having to try to grasp and grapple with the same questions. Will he commit to ensuring that this makes its way into the transition plan as a priority? Thank you.

Supplementary To Question 349-14(6): Collaboration By Social Envelope Ministers
Question 349-14(6): Collaboration By Social Envelope Ministers
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 1119

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 349-14(6): Collaboration By Social Envelope Ministers
Question 349-14(6): Collaboration By Social Envelope Ministers
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 1119

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will commit to making sure that before we leave office that this particular issue will be laid out in detail and the work done to date will be there for the incoming government to have at their disposal so that they can make the necessary and timely decisions. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 349-14(6): Collaboration By Social Envelope Ministers
Question 349-14(6): Collaboration By Social Envelope Ministers
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 1119

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

Leon Lafferty North Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier, the Honourable Stephen Kakfwi. As I mentioned in my Member's statement, discussion of a one -rate zone for power was delayed by Cabinet until the energy strategy was completed. Now that the energy strategy is completed, will the Premier and Cabinet direct the Northwest Territories Power Corporation to proceed with an application for a one-rate zone for power? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Return To Question 350-14(6): Single-rate Zone For Hydro Electric Power
Question 350-14(6): Single-rate Zone For Hydro Electric Power
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 1120

Stephen Kakfwi

Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The government and Cabinet have no intentions in the future of discussing this rather controversial issue. There are no plans to discuss it or other decisions made. Thank you.

Return To Question 350-14(6): Single-rate Zone For Hydro Electric Power
Question 350-14(6): Single-rate Zone For Hydro Electric Power
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 1120

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Premier Kakfwi. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Supplementary To Question 350-14(6): Single-rate Zone For Hydro Electric Power
Question 350-14(6): Single-rate Zone For Hydro Electric Power
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 1120

Leon Lafferty North Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I understand the Premier thinks that this is a controversial issue but, as I have said before in the House, we are here for the people, we are representing everyone in the Territories and every day we are saying that we want to treat them and make sure they get all the same benefits. By continually disregarding requests from Members from this side of the House, we are failing the people in the North. I'd like to ask the Premier again, if they will, when will they do it? Is it after the election? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary To Question 350-14(6): Single-rate Zone For Hydro Electric Power
Question 350-14(6): Single-rate Zone For Hydro Electric Power
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 1120

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Further Return To Question 350-14(6): Single-rate Zone For Hydro Electric Power
Question 350-14(6): Single-rate Zone For Hydro Electric Power
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 1120

Stephen Kakfwi

Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe it will be the next government that will deal with this issue and it will be the Power Corporation that will make application for rate changes and the way which rates are charged. It is the Power Corporation that makes application through the Public Utilities Board. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 350-14(6): Single-rate Zone For Hydro Electric Power
Question 350-14(6): Single-rate Zone For Hydro Electric Power
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 1120

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Premier Kakfwi. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Supplementary To Question 350-14(6): Single-rate Zone For Hydro Electric Power
Question 350-14(6): Single-rate Zone For Hydro Electric Power
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 1120

Leon Lafferty North Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Premier well knows, we on this side of the House had input when he was elected to Premier for this Legislative Assembly. When we did that we expected him to work for all of us, for the whole Territories. But by disregarding some of our questions and some of the requests that people are making, he is not doing his job. I'd like to ask him again, will he do his job and give direction to the Northwest Territories Power Corporation for a one-rate zone?