Sandy Lee

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Human Resources and it’s with regard to the summer student employment. Mr. Speaker, since the Minister made a statement a few days ago about the status of the summer student situation and the questions I asked yesterday or the day before about the fact that there appears to be a lot less summer students being hired this year than in previous years, I have received more phone calls from parents who really feel that this government is reducing the number of student jobs available. The Minister is indicating that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That concludes the Report of the Standing Committee on Social Programs on Matters Related to the Child and Family Services Act. Therefore, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Sahtu, that Committee Report 3-15(6), be received and moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we have one more, the last committee motion. I move that this committee recommends that the government provide a comprehensive response to this report within 120 days. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to report from the Standing Committee on Social Programs Report on Matters Related to Child and Family Services Act. But before I do that, I would just like to take a moment to say a special thanks to the hard-working committee of Social Programs.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Standing Committee on Social Programs read into this House, for the record, the committee report. It dealt with issues arising out of our committee’s review of the amendment to the Child and Family Services Act. In our discussions and public hearings, we came to realize that there were lots of concerns that were brought to us by the members of the public, as well as within our committee. We chose to file a different report on that because we realize that some of those issues that were brought up were not within the…(inaudible)…of the amendment which was quite...

To say in all the three bullets here, studying the cost of living issues, it suggests that somehow this bridge will increase the cost of living, and this is why I had to do the whole song and dance about the fact that in fact the case is completely reverse, the case is completely reverse. This bridge will reduce the cost of living for the North and for Yellowknife and the surrounding area. We have to do everything we can, it will benefit everybody, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have to do something to avoid a situation that we had earlier in the month when we are at risk of running out of...

Geez, Mr. Speaker, what I want to tell you is this project has had more review, and more input, and more study, and more effort than any other project we know. It has gone through a lengthy process. Oh yes, and there is a benefit to Fort Providence area and I understand the Member from Sahtu said talking to his family they don’t know what this project is…

Mr. Speaker, I have indicated many a time, not having access because of the ice break-up in the springtime and in the fall, it could amount anywhere between six to eight weeks in a year and I know and I appreciate that in many communities that’s the state of being all year round. I appreciate that and I believe they should get the bridge too. That’s not to say that Yellowknife should not get that. We have 20,000 people and the businesses and all the services we provide that get closed down twice a year and there is a cost to that, Mr. Speaker. The trucking companies pay extra money when...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’m happy to enter into this debate today and I’d like to thank the Members for bringing the motion forward. I’d like to start off by saying I do have concerns about this motion. I like the fact that we’re doing the debate, but I do have concerns about the motion in that it sort of casts a little bit of dark shadow on something I think is great news and a great project and something that we should all get behind 1,000 percent. Mr. Speaker, I believe this is the kind of innovative, visionary, a big action item that governments should do more of. We...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister indicated in previous questions that the job recruitment process is ongoing and the time and the nature of summer student jobs vary and so students could get hired throughout the summer, but I think May is an important month and most students would want to be hired by the end of May. So could I ask the Minister to make a commitment to get back to us by the end of the month and give us a results report in that regard?