To the motion, Mr. Robert

McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I agree with

everything the Premier said. I was sitting here and I was listening. I had an idea before I came in here which way I was going to lean on this. I think I even asked my seatmate here: why are we doing this? I listened to the reasons from both sides of the House, and I thought the Members on this side of the House stated their case a little bit better than the other side. I don’t mean that in a bad way.

I agree that we have all these other projects here. I think one of the Members touched on it: they’re all specific. I mean, we know exactly where it’s going. I think the Member for Nahendeh talked about parks renewal and that he doesn’t feel like he has ownership of it. I think that’s part of our problem over here.

We’re not saying that this is not an important area, but at this time I think we have to realize, you know — and I think one of the Members from the other side said it — that you have to go look somebody in the eye. I totally agree with him. That’s one of the reasons why I don’t think this is an important use of government funds right now. I want to be able to go home and look my constituents in the eye and tell them, all 34-plus who potentially could lose their jobs: “I fought hard for your jobs. I was unable to save most of you, but by the way, we’re spending $1.5 million on parks renewal. We’re not knowing exactly where it’s going to go.” That’s one of the

reasons I look at it this way. I need to be able to go home and justify all this.

There are a lot of line items in here I don’t necessarily agree with. We can argue them line by line, but there are some, I know, where we just have to let them go through. This is really not a huge priority right now. I’m glad to see that my words are being listened to very carefully, so I’ll leave it at that.

To the motion,

Mr. Michael McLeod.

Mr. Chairman, I’m quite

concerned over the Member for Great Slave’s comments about whether I was happy or unhappy or upset. I have not spoken to this motion. He is making some assumptions, and I believe he is imputing motive. I’ll be reviewing Hansard tomorrow to see where he’s going with his line of discussion on this motion.

To the motion,

Mr. Hawkins. I’ll give you the last word since you’re the mover of the motion.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. First, I

want to thank Minister McLeod for his sincerity on this issue. I know tourism is very important to him. He even came by my office today to talk about this. I want to thank him for that, and I want to acknowledge that he does a good job over there.

To this issue, Mr. Chairman. He was bringing the information down as to what’s happening on this line item. I thank him for that. But as I see it, the detail, in my mind, wasn’t there. I had the documentation in front of me. Things like the RV park weren’t there. I would have appreciated if it had been there. I think if Members who now sit in Cabinet over there who claim we don’t see the detail.... The detail isn’t here, as it was stated earlier by the Minister. He said that there would be an RV park. It’s not there. I know other Members would go kicking and screaming if one Minister said, “Really, it’s in between those numbers,” and it’s not.

The fact is that I see this as an excellent group of projects coming through the business plans. I wouldn’t want to pretend I speak on behalf of EDI or any other Member here in this House, but I suspect that they would be very welcome to see this as a potential initiative, and they can deal with it line by line through their process. I don’t sit on the EDI Committee, so I stress I won’t speak on their behalf. But I can’t imagine why they would refuse anything like this.

The issue of the RV park has come up a few times, even mentioned by the Minister as being buried in that airport display money of $600,000. I don’t think it’s to any surprise in this community that I definitely

support RVing. I definitely believe that further investment needs to be there.

But, unfortunately, the business plan doesn’t break that information out, and I think it puts us in a very awkward position to take the Minister at face value in the context that detail will come.

You’re doing wrap-up

here on the motion. You don’t have a second chance to debate the motion. We’re asking you to wrap up the motion so we can have a vote on it, Mr. Hawkins.

Okay. Mr. Chairman, I’ll be really

fast. The fact is that I support this motion as it’s coming forward. I’ll just close it off, because it’s being encouraged by you, before you cut me off — because you’re the respected Chair, that is.

Mr. Chairman, I support the motion, and I would sincerely encourage the Minister to bring this back in its earliest form. If there are health and safety issues, as I heard dilapidated states said earlier, I would encourage him to use the sub-process to do that.

Mr. Chairman, a recorded vote’s already been asked for, so I don’t need to ask for it again. I thank you for your time.

A recorded vote has

been requested on this motion. All those in favour, please stand.

All those against the

motion, please stand.

All those abstaining from

the motion, please stand.

Results of the motion are nine in favour, seven against, zero abstentions.

Motion carried.

Okay. Under Tourism and

Parks, Infrastructure Acquisition Plan, Capital Assets, Total Capital Assets: $2.328 million. Agreed?

Department of Industry, Tourism and

Investment, Activity Summary, Infrastructure Acquisition Plan, Tourism and Parks, Tangible

Capital Assets, Total Tangible Capital Assets: $2.328 million, approved.

Total Activity: $2.328

million.

Department of Industry, Tourism and

Investment, Activity Summary, Infrastructure Acquisition Plan, Tourism and Parks, Total Activity: $2.328 million, approved.

Total Department: $2.328

million. Agreed?

Department of Industry, Tourism and

Investment, Activity Summary, Infrastructure Acquisition Plan, Tourism and Parks, Total Department: $2.328 million, approved.

Does the committee

agree that the department’s infrastructure acquisition plan has been concluded? Agreed?

With that, what’s the wish

of the committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I

would like to move that we report progress.

The motion to report

progress is non-debatable.

Motion carried.

I will rise and report

progress. Sergeant-at-Arms, could you escort the witnesses out.

The House resumed.

Can I have the report of the

Committee of the Whole, please, Mr. Krutko.