Robert Bouchard

Yes, Madam Chair. I’d like to make a motion to report progress.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’ll make my comments really brief here. I do believe this is one of the more important budgets. It’s the second largest and it represents over 20 percent of our budget. Like my colleagues, I am concerned that we have only seen a 1 percent increase in this budget. The importance of it is also in the fact that I think education, being the larger component of it, is important in the territory. It’s the investment in the future. And that’s at several different levels, whether it’s at early childhood, K to 12 and post-secondary and the apprenticeships. I think we should look...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have no further questions, but I am concerned with this issue. Thank you.

Obviously, it’s a concern to me. I know Hay River and Fort Smith put a proposal back a couple years ago to combine the two communities together to host the Arctic Winter Games and they were declined because they didn’t want to put the two communities together to host all the events, yet they’re allowing this one community to do it with limited sports. What is the next step for MACA involved with the Arctic Winter Games planners to ensure that these games are included for the youth of the North?

I appreciate that information. Could the Minister be able to coordinate some of the information he provides to me that the government’s currently doing for seniors, along with coordinating with his other colleagues to give me the specifics on all that available for seniors in their own homes? Thank you.

My question for the Minister of Housing is: What is Housing doing to alleviate some of the pressures for the seniors that are in their own house other than charging seniors rent, I guess?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I recognize one of my constituents, Janet-Marie Fizer. Rocky Simpson also owns a business in my riding; so welcome, Rocky.

Has the department looked at any, as he indicated, alternates for some of these youth that would be deprived of their opportunity to be in the Arctic Winter Games at this time?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My next line of questions are for the Minister of MACA concerning a CBC news report on 2016 Arctic Winter Games, which indicated that there’s going to be limited sports on the ice surfaces. What involvement has MACA had with this Arctic Winter Games planning?

My next question is: What kind of wait-lists are there in the Hay River area for senior housing currently?