Kevin O'Reilly

Yes, I am aware that there is provision in the agreement for the federal government to go to the Treasury Board to resolve this on a permanent basis, but there is a way for them to address the issue right now, and that is just simply to increase the contribution agreement for the next year by the amount that was unspent in the previous year. That would allow for, essentially, a carryover. I guess I would like to know from the Minister what he believes are the next steps that he and his staff will take to get implementation of this key feature of the agreement back on track?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to my colleagues. I wouldn't raise this issue in the House if it were about a few thousand dollars, but this goes to the very heart of why Yellowknifers lost confidence in how government was attempting to remediate the Giant Mine. I trust that our government is working diligently behind the scenes to ensure that the federal government lives up to the promises it made to invest in a permanent solution for Giant Mine. I will have questions later today for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. Masi, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks to the Minister for that. Come September, when students come back for their program, there will be a whole cohort missing of new students in these two programs. All the teachers will be there ready to go, but they won't have any students. Is that what I am hearing? Why would we reinstate all the funding for the program if we are not taking in new students? Can the Minister explain this?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister of Education some questions about the reinstatement of funding for the Teacher Education Program and social work program through Aurora College. I am just trying to figure out how this is actually going to work. Are these complete and total reinstatements of the funding for those programs? I will start with that one, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

I appreciate the commitment of the Minister. Our government did sign this agreement, as well, so we do have some obligations, and this is certainly in the best interest of Yellowknifers now and into the future. There is some urgency to getting this issue sorted out. April 1st is coming up quickly, so I am just wondering how confident the Minister is that we can get the federal government to live up to this agreement and to ensure that all the appropriate funds are available to invest in the Northwest Territories.

Mahsi, Monsieur le President. I wish to table the following document. It’s a letter from the chair of the Giant Mine Oversight Board to Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada regarding Giant Mine Oversight Board Funding Roll Over Provision. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I appreciate that. Of course, I think we all wish it was a lot more. I know it's in our mandate to revise the heritage fund legislation. Can the Minister tell us where the update or the revisions to the legislation are actually at? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. So can I just get a little bit of detail, then, on what sort of functions, what kind of jobs, did those people do? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and thanks again to the Minister for that response, but I can assure him I was in the room in my previous life when the changes were being proposed. We couldn't even get the federal government into the room, and it was actually being led by the territorial government, these changes last time around.

I'm pleased to hear the Minister say in this House that he recognizes that there's an ongoing role for the federal government in these agreements. So can the Minister commit to engaging the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment regarding changes to the...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Yes, I think there would probably be  I think I have raised this before  greater strength in numbers, working with our colleagues in Yukon and Nunavut on this, as well. I am sure they share the same kind of concern, and I am sure we can work collectively, with them, to try to move that forward with the federal government. I see the Minister shaking his head, so I am not going to ask a question about it.

I did want to move on to the heritage fund on the next page. It's 142. I am glad to see that we continue to put some of our revenues in there. I just wonder whether there...