Wendy Bisaro

Thanks to the Minister. I’ve done some looking into what exists within the GNWT. I certainly didn’t find very much. I did find, as I mentioned, the Harassment Free and Respectful Workplace Policy, I think is the title, and I think there’s an MOU, perhaps, with one or the other of our unions. As far as I know, there is nothing in any of our legislation and nothing in any of our policies which specifically says bullying. Harassment, yes, but not bullying.

So, I’d like to know if harassment is referenced, what is there within either the Department of Human Resources or within the government that...

Unfortunately, Minister, that doesn’t give me any comfort at all. What I heard you say is that we’re going to require the same certification as other teachers, and what I am trying to say is that early childhood educators do not require the same certification as teachers. They may require a degree, but they require a degree in early childhood education, they don’t require a degree in teaching elementary or high school. They are different and I really am concerned that here we are at the end of February, and I think the department is expecting that in September we are going to have people that...

So there is nothing which Members can see that that has been finalized to date, or is there? If there is, can we get it? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As Mrs. Groenewegen has mentioned, there’s a bit of a pink glow in the Chamber today and that’s because it is Pink Shirt Day. It’s Pink Shirt Day here and across Canada. For the third year in a row, NWT MLAs are acknowledging the importance of this initiative to combat bullying, and for the third year in a row we are not alone.

In the last two years, the Anti-Bullying Campaign has gathered momentum across North America and across the NWT. NWT students, educators and education authorities have developed and implemented strategies, awareness and resources to deal with the...

Mr. Chair, as Mr. Bromley stated, this is a huge section. I appreciate that you are allowing us to come back and ask different sets of questions, because there is every one of these three sections we could spend a good five minutes on.

It’s kind of hard for me to know where to start, but I think I’ll start with some questions about the junior kindergarten, and I’ll follow up where Mr. Bromley left off, to a certain extent.

I read the activity descriptions and I look at the early childhood development and learning division, and it states program and curriculum development for children from early...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have a question with regards to the two contributions at the top of this page, tourism industry contribution and Tourism 2015. They sound remarkably similar. I just wonder if I can get an explanation of the difference between the two. Thank you.

Thanks for the clarification. My other question has to do with the investment income interest earned on the NWT Opportunities Fund and it reflects in ’13-14 budget year a revised estimate of $7-plus million. My recollection is that that was the value of the fund. So is this, in fact, interest, $7 million in interest or is that simply how we’ve recorded it? Is the NWT Opportunities Fund now finished, is it empty, is it done and closed? A status update on the fund would be helpful and why have we recorded $7 million in interest? Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister for that. My other question has to do with, I have two other questions here, but my first of the other questions has to do with the regulatory revenues and the minerals oil and gas royalties.

The $120 million, as I understand it, is the estimated amount of resources revenues that we’re going to be getting in the ’14-15 budget year, but that’s the total amount, that’s not the net amount. So I’d like to know why we are recording the total amount in this budget. I don’t believe there’s a corresponding expense of the 50 percent of this net fiscal benefit that we’re going to...

Thanks to the deputy minister. So, we are looking to save about $7 million in passive restraint and we are going to “go in the hole” for the other, say, $25 million, is that right? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Committee wishes to continue with Tabled Document 22-17(5), with the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment and, time permitting and the Members willing, the Department of Finance. Thank you.