Kevin A. Menicoche

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’m just trying to get assurances from the Minister that the training will help develop our northern youth and our northern communities, especially to just prepare ourselves for the planned impacts. I believe the Minister made reference to ASEP, the aboriginal skills employment partnerships program. I would just like to ask the Minister that.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, just with respect to Aurora College and possible increased vocational training opportunities to our youth, especially with all the plans of industry and growth that we’d like to plan for in the future. I’m just wondering if there’s appetite within the department to look at alternative training facilities, particularly creating some of those facilities in the Nahendeh riding.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just for clarification from the Minister, is it necessary that some of the arrangements were so that the term loans become flexible of waiving interest and deferring principal payments? When it's noticed that the business is in trouble, do they try to then look at these different alternatives for the BCC, as opposed to these letters from the lawyers to call in their loans? Thank you.

Mahsi Cho, Mr. Speaker. Today, I would like to speak about debt-free payment and the Business Credit Corporation. I think we all recognize the importance of small business to our economic growth. I think we would all agree that this government should take every opportunity to support our northern entrepreneurs; to advocate for the small businesses.

Having said that, Mr. Speaker, I have a situation in one of my communities that I represent where several small businesses have borrowed money and, through no fault of their own, their business ventures have failed. They did have loans with the...

Thank you. I would just like to say that in my mind, Mr. Chair, it just doesn’t seem right that that reduction of seven staff members would still lead to an increase of our compensation and benefits. For the question involved here, maybe the Minister can further clarify what he meant that even though we have reduced staff we are still paying more in compensation and benefits.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am just trying to establish if that will be our revenue base in that line item in the next few years. It seems like that is how it’s going to be. Thank you very much.

I just have one more question with regard to taxation revenue and property taxes. It looks like a $3 million increase. I am just wondering what to base that on. In fact, it looks more like a $6 million increase if you go from mains to mains.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I was just looking at the budget address. Our projected revenue was stated at $917 million. On page 3-22, it says total revenue is $820 million. I wonder if you could give me an explanation of the difference.

That is fine. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. With reference to the opening remarks from the Minister, he talks about the $371,000 increase to salaries and benefits, yet towards the end of his opening remarks he talks about reduction of seven staff positions. I have trouble understanding the large reduction of seven staff and yet we can still have an increase to salaries and benefits. Thank you.