Charles Dent

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If memory serves me right, in this current year there is $200,000 in minor capital going to repairs in that area.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Subsequent to the Member’s question in the House and my response to him that he has referred to, I heard from the Federation of Labour and they offered to meet with me to discuss this issue. I have accepted that offer and indicated to them that I am prepared to meet to carry on these discussions. I am purely confident that unions will understand that northerners expect to see significant northern involvement in employment in the construction of pipelines in the North, and I think it is incumbent on us, through the Minister of RWED, to negotiate a good agreement that...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am sure the Minister of Finance was listening to the Member’s earlier comments and will be prepared to respond to the Member at an appropriate time on those comments.

On her second point when it comes to the apprenticeship issue and the human resource support that we provide, I have indeed heard the concern expressed by Members here, and I have asked the department to take a look at that. There is a review underway right now. We currently have six staff supported by career development, or career centre staff across the Territories, but we are examining the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, there have been no formal requests for the department to reimburse boards for those monies so far. I think it’s important to remember that there are only a few boards that actually charged fees. Most boards in the Northwest Territories did not charge any extra fees. We would be hard pressed to justify giving extra money to some and not to all.

Mr. Chairman, these were in the 20-year plan, but each year we go through the plan and a lot of it depends on population. What has happened is that Yellowknife has gotten to the point where we can predict when the schools will reach full occupancy, and so that caused that one to get moved into the system. So they are always identified as somewhere in there being needs. But every year we go through the plan and some communities are going to move around depending on the occupancy load of the schools, on the physical condition, the safety issues that we have to deal with. They aren’t new...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good morning. Tomorrow, Saturday, March 20th, will culminate a week of international celebration as Francophones and Francophiles throughout the Northwest Territories join with people in India, Senegal, and Egypt, among others, to honour their culture and heritage through Francophonie Day.

(Translation) This day was created in 1998 as a way for the ensemble of people who speak the French and Creole languages to celebrate their common bond. Honoured over five continents and uniting over 170 million speakers, French speakers join together with the United Nations to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, on the first day of this session, Mr. Yakeleya rose to speak about celebrating Aboriginal Languages Month. He spoke with passion about his own language and culture and how important that has been shaping the person he is today.

I would also like to recognize the importance of Aboriginal Languages Month.

Mr. Speaker, this month we celebrate the important role language and culture play in the daily lives of many of our residents. Aboriginal languages provide a way for aboriginal people to maintain and express their culture, traditions and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can’t answer if it’s been on the same percentage that the NCBS has increased, but in fact the food rates have increased this winter to reflect increased costs. We do an annual survey now and adjust the food basket rates on a regular basis rather than waiting until we get way behind. I would be quite prepared to provide the Member with what the percentage increase might be in the program.

I can also say that I’ve had some discussion with the department, and the fact that the NCBS has increased is one of the aspects we’re considering and will be discussing as part of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the national child benefit supplement has three purposes to it, as posed by the federal government. One is to create attachment to the workforce, another is to reduce child poverty, and the third is to reduce overlap and duplication of programs and services. I can tell the Member that I was at the table when this was initially set up and that one of the biggest concerns from the federal representatives there was in fact making sure that the program was aimed at people who are working and to ensure that there was an attachment to the workforce. The way...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In comparison to other jurisdictions, the amount of support that is provided to a parent who is staying home to look after children is very good in the Northwest Territories. The feeling is that the program, as it’s designed, in fact, does accommodate that desire. For instance, those jurisdictions like Newfoundland which have allowed the straight flow through, even though there is a high cost of living in many of the smaller communities in Newfoundland and Labrador, their level of support is nowhere near what we provide to individuals living in the Northwest Territories...