Charles Dent

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Further to my Return to Written Question 73-15(3), I wish to table the following document entitled Number of New Teachers Hired from 2001 to 2005. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On all of the capital projects we have there is a similar amount of consultation, whether it’s a school or hospital or the courts. When you’re talking about building projects, we have a similar amount of consultation. We have been pressured by the courts for many years to respond to their needs and this is something that we have to do. It has been proposed by governments prior to this one. Two governments prior to this one have announced that they were going to put the money for a courthouse in the capital plan, but did not follow through on those commitments, and this...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The function of the courts is not expected to change significantly in the future. There will still be a need for courts and for their operations. The unfortunate fact is that we don’t expect that the amount they are using will go down. There isn’t much you can do about not providing the space. Right now we don’t have adequate space. One way or the other we’re going to have to provide it. So we have consulted with Public Works and Services and have been advised that there are two choices: either rent more space or build new space. The advice from Public Works and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The government has decided to initiate this project by going to a full set of plans and then going out to tender. So before we break ground we’ll know the full cost of the project. This isn’t going to be handled through a construction management process where the costs could escalate after the construction has started. It is our intention to make sure that we know the costs before proceeding with it. All of the amounts that will be spent on the building will have to be voted by this Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the years, the courthouse has become too small for the number of cases that are held in it. Right now, in the last year, we have had rented space outside the courthouse for a large civil case: the Giant Mine trial. With that one, we spent over $355,000. Just since Christmas, we’ve had to rent space in one of the local hotels for courts and we will again this year. We know about another large trial that’s coming up later this spring that we’re going to have to rent space outside the courthouse. What’s happened is that the growth in the number of cases that are...

That is correct, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Ms. Schofield tells me that the last time that a report was run, we reported nine vacant positions and because of the need to keep positions for affected employees with layoffs and because the people aren’t available until April 1st or 15th or whenever they are formally laid off, none of the positions will be filled until we know whether or not the affected employees are going to take them.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will continue to pressure the federal government to recognize what they themselves say. They say that aboriginal people include Métis people, and yet they are discriminating in this program by not allowing Métis people to apply. So I will continue to pressure the federal government and work to try and have them recognize that they must change the rules to allow Métis people to also access this money, and that they should put more money in so that all of the status people who are applying to it can be served. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We have 11.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If it turns out that more money is needed, I would have to approach the FMBS for support for a supplementary appropriation, which would come before this House. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.