Kevin A. Menicoche

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That was my immediate concern; that we would have had a young couple, because of their salary level, I think the Mortgage Assistance Program, the way it operates they would pay $100 or $200 a month less. The way it was rolled out is while this family would have to go to ECE to get…Housing was going to charge them full market rates to get that reduction but, because of their salary level, they would have to go to ECE. So the Minister is saying this is not the case. Is that right, Mr. Chairman?

With regard to income security, have we ironed out how we are going to address subsidies of public housing initiatives? My immediate concern is we are going to have somebody who never asked for income support going to ECE. I am not sure what kind of guidelines are in place. These are people with income, jobs, and typically ECE helps people who are in dire need. I don’t know if they have set up a different structure. People are telling me when they are going to ECE, what’s actually going on is you have to expose your whole life to ECE in order to get approved for a program and it’s pretty...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. With regard to career development, adult employment training programs, there was an issue that just recently developed in Fort Simpson, actually it’s been ongoing for awhile, which is we have an old facility that they call La Pointe Hall. They call it Deh Cho Hall now. Public Works is looking at decommissioning it and tearing it down. It’s huge. There must be 10,000 square feet in that place. Traditionally it’s been used as a training facility over the last 10 years for adult education courses. They are looking at tearing it down. I was thinking how are we going to...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I believe it was Mr. Ramsay who had a debate item that kind of interested me. It was with the graduation rates and course completion rates and that’s something that I’ve been dealing with the Minister on over the last couple of weeks, especially in the smaller regional centres. I’m sure I agree with the Minister and the department, that whatever we can do to improve graduation rates and course completion rates would be a boon to our young people, to our schools and to our communities.

I came upon a gap, perhaps in the system and maybe the Minister can address...

Thank you, Madam Chair. The committee wishes to consider Bill 19, Appropriation Act, 2005-2006, with Education, Culture and Employment. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Just to take it away from the national level again and just bring it back to, say, Jean Marie River, their need is four units. When can the Minister assure Jean Marie River that it’s not going to be 10 years from now, but three years from now or two years from now? Does the Minister have the ability to do that? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The Minister details about how resources would be allocated and now, the next logical question, Mr. Speaker, is what is the placement plan or the long-term plan of placing these units in the communities? What resources have they got earmarked for the Nahendeh riding communities? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker…(English not provided)

Mr. Speaker, I wish to speak with you today about the need in Nahendeh for housing; housing for singles and single parents in particular. Mr. Speaker, in my constituency, 25 percent of our households have a core need for housing. This means that there is an issue with suitability, adequacy or affordability with about 200 of the 754 households surveyed by the Housing Corporation; or, in the most simple terms, the types of housing we have now is inappropriate, too expensive, and there is just not enough of it. Yet over the next three years, Fort Simpson will...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does the Minister foresee any plans, let’s say for a small community like Jean Marie that has about 50 residents? How does the Minister see this program working in a community like that? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question today is for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment with regard to the national initiative of childcare and early learning. That’s exactly what the intent is, Mr. Speaker. It’s a national program. I assume it will include the small communities that exist in my riding, Mr. Speaker. Our small communities have single, working parents and double-income families who are anxious to see how this national program will be rolled out. Will the Minister, Mr. Speaker, tell this House the plans to roll out this program into the communities?...