Kevin A. Menicoche

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just in terms of details of travel, there’s an extra $100,000 in other expenses. Can I get clarification of that?

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I think the Minister is on the right track. Once we get an agreement, I think the travel between Fort Liard and Fort Nelson will certainly take care of itself.

Just once more, will the Minister contact the BC Health ministry and begin these discussions, as well as involve the community of Fort Liard and its residents? Thank you.

Madam Chair, release the prisoners…witnesses.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I know that many Members have raised many different issues, but I think I will take a different approach this time. I am going to try to be specific.

When you are an applicant, you can’t dispute something that you cannot see. Often, they are getting frustrated and they’re saying P1, P2 and non-residents are getting our jobs. In fact, I think earlier in our session last week, I posed a written question. I wanted to see how many P1 and P2 applicants are getting hired over the last couple of years. That might be a little bit of work for the department, but they have those...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I think timing is of the essence. I think in order to make preparations, we have to begin those discussions now. If the Minister, with his continued support, we can begin these discussions with his department, with Mr. Mayor and the NWT Tourism could come up with a good plan that perhaps this event can happen this summer. Thank you.

The idea came from Mr. Sean Whelly, the mayor of Fort Simpson, and I’ve been pursuing it since last year and I have raised it with NWT Tourism. It’s a huge opportunity, I think, for international exposure, so if we could get the department onside and look for some resources. What kind of resources would the department have to fund such an international event?

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased that the government is investing additional funds into the NWT Tourism Marketing Strategy. Showing Canada and the world that NWT is a world-travelled destination is key in developing and diversifying our tourism economy in all regions.

I’m working with the mayor of Fort Simpson, Mr. Sean Whelly. He has an idea of a man that can swim the entire Mackenzie River and bring along international exposure. His name is Mr. Martin Strel, but you can call him Big River Man. He has swum most of the world’s longest rivers. In February 2007, Martin Strel began...

Madam Chair, I move that we report progress.

---Carried

Just with that whole aspect of scoring, I think that’s where residents are getting frustrated. Even though they feel that the tests are subjective and not transparent at all because they’re appealing it and the managers are sitting there and withholding information and not showing them how they scored. How can you defend yourself if you’re not allowed to see that? I guess that’s happened time and time again, and some applicants and some constituents have applied, like, 10 or 15 times with the same result. So, of course, they’ll get frustrated and I do want to see this Aboriginal representative...

Thank you, Madam Chair. The committee wishes to consider Tabled Document 9-17(4), NWT Main Estimates, 2013-2014.