Kevin A. Menicoche

Mr. Chairman, that’s fine. Thank you.

Mr. Chair, this is in regards to some numbered questions here. Projected in the main estimates are liquor sales of $48.5 million, cost of goods sold, $16.9 million and last year we had $47.5 million in sales and cost of goods sold as $17 million, so what the numbers here are saying is that we are buying cheaper products or something there. We like to drink $1 million worth, so somehow we must be buying bulk sales but we are consuming the same product for almost $1 million less. Can I get an explanation on that?

Thank you very much. I just wanted to get right into the financial shared services and amalgamating people into the financial shared services. I’ve been trying to find some documentation on this from the last time the committee had an update on it. I think it was just before our election in 2011, so I don’t know if P and P have had an update on where financial shared services is going.

The original intent, of course, was the logical thing to do was when we split the Department of ITI and ENR and there were some similar functions so we just kept shared services. I’ve spoken earlier in the House...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I certainly look forward to that research that the Minister wants to do and see what other resources are there that can assist these organizations.

I’d just like to know if the convictions for drinking and driving have increased. I think it was during the last review, I’d like to ask the Minister, has it increased? Thank you.

With our government’s efforts to reduce drunk driving, parental groups like MADD and even SADD, Students Against Drunk Driving, have we seen a decrease in the amount of drunk driving convictions and charges in the last five years? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Anti-bullying is incredibly important to us today, just as important as the initiative against drunk driving, which is my Member’s statement today.

Today I want to praise the immense contributions of a Fort Simpson resident, Ms. Sharon Allen, who is a dedicated campaigner for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the national organization best known as MADD Canada.

Sharon has been personally affected by impaired driving. In 2008 Sharon and her husband, Kevin, lost their daughter, Keisha Trudel. Keisha was only 16 at the time. Keisha’s memory has been kept alive by...

Thank you very much. It’s kind of like a big community motion built on using the word small communities, but I am going to support it, but only because it’s a recommendation at this point. Of course, committee will be wanting to have full discussion with government on it and I will look forward to further details as we move along on this motion.

Mr. Chair, under corporate management, of course they have the responsibility of finance and capital planning. I know that this is our operation and maintenance budget, but schools in our small communities ought to be a priority. I’m pleased that we finished building the big schools in the big communities. I really feel that it’s time to turn our attention while we can before there’s another issue in a larger community. Let’s try to get some of these older schools in the smaller communities built and those that don’t have any, like I’ve been making a case for Trout Lake. It is more of a...

Mr. Chair, that is a good explanation for that. Liquor Commission agency expenses are up by $1 million over the last couple of years, maybe could we get an explanation for that?

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to follow up on community health nursing. That was a great issue that Mrs. Groenewegen raised and it’s something I’ve been following for many, many years, the question of nursing in small communities. In her statement she asked basically what is the rationale, and I think the rationale is because there are no RCMP officers there. I don’t know if that’s a real policy.

I’d like to ask the Minister of Health what is the real policy about getting nurses into our communities, and if he has it, can he quote from it, can he show us? Thank you, Mr...