Wendy Bisaro

Thank you. Page 11-26, Transportation, information item, marine, active positions. Are there any questions?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to follow up. First of all, thank you to Mr. Schauerte for the info. I wanted to follow up on the hotel levy, and I’m struggling to understand why the department is moving towards consultation. If we have at least one community that has the capabilities, has the desire and wants to use that revenue for marketing and promotion, I’m not too sure why there needs to be broader support. Why can we not provide the authority in legislation and if a community chooses to take advantage of the option, then they can do so. If they don’t want to take advantage of...

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister Ramsay.

Committee, are we agreed that we are concluded the Department of Transportation?

I’m struggling to understand the Minister’s response. I think I heard him say this committee will be established and it will be looking into how to set up something to have regular increases to minimum wage. Could I get him to clarify for me? Is that the intent of this committee?

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Maybe you can hold your questions, Mr. Hawkins, until we get to that page, at least on dredging. Mr. Hawkins.

The Minister mentioned in his opening remarks that, I think in the 2013-2014 budget year, the government is going to implement an accountability framework. I think the Minister did a statement on this earlier in session. I’ve always had some difficulty in understanding just sort of what the makeup of the accountability framework is, what it is we are trying to measure, what we are holding municipalities accountable for. Can I get a bit of an explanation, I guess, of what the framework includes and what it is intended to do?

Thanks for both the Chair and the Minister indulging me with a capital question.

I do have a question with regard to the number under details of other expenses. In this year’s budget we have other, $6,000 and previously it was more than $8 million. So I’m wondering if that is the interest expense on the bridge or if it’s something else. Can I get clarification? Thank you.

Thank you, committee. We are on pages 11-36 and 11-37, Transportation, information item, work performed on behalf of others, $2.129 million.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I’d like to go back to something that I’ve been talking about for quite some time. Since the 16th Assembly, I’ve been after the Minister and the government to increase minimum wage and to bring us on a par, or at least close to par, with the rest of Canada. We did have an increase in our minimum wage on the 1st of April of 2010, and then again on the 1st of April of 2011. They were, thankfully, not an April fool’s joke.

Since 2011, I’ve been anticipating the development and the...