Robert Hawkins

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Crucial Fact

  • His favourite word is know.

MLA for Yellowknife Centre

Won his last election, in 2023, with 42% of the vote.

Statements in the House

Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried March 29th, 2004

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Minister, can you explain to me why we need negotiators, why that fee would not be included under the compensation and benefits portion? If we need negotiators ongoing and we create agreements where we don't go out to tender, we almost sound like we are hiring employees, but not hiring employees. Could the Minister explain the difference?

Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried March 29th, 2004

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Did the Minister imply that these were negotiated contracts?

Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried March 29th, 2004

My time is up, so I will release it for now in case someone wants the microphone.

Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried March 29th, 2004

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just find it an administrative anomaly. It could just be me, though. That's fine.

Just expanding a little further on the travel issue, which I will leave as a comment, I find it an exceptionally large travel budget for such a small department. It just seems perplexing at this stage why we have more than $750,000 in the travel money there. It just seems insane. I am still having a difficult time seeing the reduction. I have to admit when the Minister had indicated earlier that we took a three-year travel average of $700,000 and I still find growth in that, maybe it's just my eyes. Maybe I am not the only one. I will wait until I see that spreadsheet before I proceed. If the Minister is still committed to finding the breakout of the spreadsheet, we can deal with it later. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried March 29th, 2004

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will pause on that question for now. The Minister indicated quite often we bring lawyers to these things. Does the Department of Justice pick up that travel cost? Why does the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs pick up that cost if it's the ministry's cost? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried March 29th, 2004

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If I could just pick up a little further again on this travel question. When the Minister provides us with that spreadsheet on travel, if he could break out the size of average entourages that travel, give us an example of how much the cost of that is. What I mean by that is how many days they travel and typically how many people travel together. Can the Minister supply that information?

Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried March 29th, 2004

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will actually release the mike at this moment. I see other Members would like to speak, and I'll just be in the queue after them. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried March 29th, 2004

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Could the Minister supply us with a hard copy of those budget figures?

Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried March 29th, 2004

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As I think I understood this particularly puzzling question, I think the Minister took the average off the estimated and didn't take the number off the actual which is kind of strange, because the estimated, if I understood him correctly -- and please feel free to straighten me out -- I think I heard him say that the estimated was around $900,000 but the actual was $705,000. So why are we using an estimated number when I think I see three years of approximately $700,000? We have $739,000 for one year, $772,000 for the next, and $705,000 for the third. So why are we using a $900,000 average to get our travel budget when we didn't need that much, and then the following year to work out, which was last year we're just finishing, as of the end of February is $413,000.

So I really see some statistical oddities with the travel budget on this one, and I find it quite strange. Now we end up with a travel budget of I think I got $768,000. So I'm just trying to find some consistency on where the reduction is on this one. If the Minister could maybe supply us, as I was requesting earlier, a copy of that travel budget information, the one that refers to everything you read off to all the Regular Members, just to help demonstrate some of this consistency of the travel budgets. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried March 29th, 2004

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, could the Minister supply us with a written copy of the travel budget for the last three years, as well as a breakout as he's indicated earlier to give us an idea of teams that travel in that regard? I'm not in a position of authority to question the Minister on the size of teams, but it has been articulated loudly in the communities that more than one lawyer travels, et cetera. The teams are quite large. There's a significant entourage that travels with this group. I'm concerned on the budget growing and we're not scrutinizing at least the travel. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.