David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, the Honourable Charles Dent. I go back to the Premier’s address of January 2001, where the government-of-the-day was intent on showing northern students that they were valued, and I’ll quote, “We intend to guarantee employment to every graduate from a recognized nursing or teaching program. In addition, by the end of March, we expect to have a program in place to guarantee a term position to every new NWT post-secondary graduate qualified in certain other priority occupations.” Mr...

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. Premier.

This employee then went on to his interview for entrance into the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and, Mr. Speaker, they passed that personal interview with flying colours.

How can the Minister of Justice still maintain that there are not problems in human resources at the North Slave Correctional Centre? This individual I'm speaking about is deemed worthy of protecting the interests of national security; however, they cannot get a full-time position at North Slave Correctional Centre.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will stick to the bill. I think it goes back to an accountability factor, Mr. Speaker, and to be quite honest with you I think in this instance the government has shown a lack of accountability, not only to the Regular Members for lack of consultation with them, but to the public. The public deserves better. This is an expenditure of $3.4 million right now and $6.6 million into the future. I think the public deserves better, Mr. Speaker, and I think the Regular Members deserve better and I would put the government on notice that we are going to be watching what...

Thank you, Madam Chair, and I thank the Premier for his response and I’m glad to hear that the Prime Minister might have a steady hand in overseeing this and that the three northern Premiers will be working together on this committee to try to develop this strategy. But the Prime Minister six months ago put Minister McLellan in charge of the pipeline file and to be honest, Madam Chair, we haven’t seen Ms. McLellan in the Northwest Territories since she’s been appointed to overlook that file. To me, that is wrong.

Again, I’m sceptical of Ottawa of what they say and what they do and I think...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I echo the sentiments of my colleague Mr. Braden, Member for Great Slave…

---Applause

…on the lack of consultation on behalf of the government in this expenditure of $3.4 million. Basically, Mr. Speaker, what amounts to a black hole, as Mr. Braden referred to it as, but we don’t know what this is going to cost us, we don’t know where we’re going to get the money from and, Mr. Speaker, it’s very irresponsible of the government to put forth a plan when they have no plan, Mr. Speaker.

This bill has $16 million in spending and $11 million of that, Mr. Speaker, is...

Thank you, Madam Chairperson. Thank you, Mr. Premier, for that. I know the meetings were on equalization and on the territorial formula financing agreement, but did you have an opportunity to again address the issue of setting aside our resource revenue in trust for the citizens of the Northwest Territories? Did you have a chance to discuss that with the Prime Minister on this trip to Ottawa? Thank you.

Agreed. Thank you. If there is no other business in front of the committee, I will rise and report progress.

Thank you, Madam Chairperson. I just had a few comments on the Premier’s report on his Ottawa meetings. I just wanted to ask the Premier if he had the opportunity to look at setting up meetings with the leaders of Canada’s opposition parties, especially the Conservative Party of Canada and the New Democratic Party of Canada -- Mr. Layton and Mr. Harper -- and if he didn’t meet with those two gentlemen on this trip, when he might be looking at meeting with them. Thank you.