Wendy Bisaro

Thank you to the Minister for the explanation. I have to say that I was fully expecting, and I wasn’t disappointed, that he brought up devolution and the money that we’re going to get from devolution. It’s unfortunate but, in my mind, it seems that’s the money that we’re getting from devolution is going to be the one item that is going to solve all of our problems.

The Minister mentioned that revenue was discussed at almost every one of the meetings, and I would like to say that there have been two roundtables on budget and finance that have been held over the last four or five years, I guess...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Finance. In the last month or six weeks or so, the Minister and his staff have been travelling throughout the NWT and doing budget consultations. I think they have been very well received in the centres where they were held. I agree that it was a good move for the department and the Minister to take the budget discussion show on the road, so to speak.

Over the number of presentations and discussions that have been held, there have been remarks by the media, there have been remarks by the Minister, they have talked about...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure today to celebrate the launching of the Aboriginal Head Start child-centred curriculum. I visited the Aboriginal Head Start Centre in Ndilo last week and spent some time with Reanna Erasmus, chair of the Western Arctic Aboriginal Head Start Council. Reanna is very excited and proud of this Aboriginal Head Start curriculum, and rightly so. It is history in the making.

Aboriginal Head Start is an early intervention program for Aboriginal children and their families. It was introduced in 1995 to enhance child development for Aboriginal children...

I’m a little confused by that response. So we are doing planning now, but we’re not going to be able to implement until 2014-2015. I think that’s what I heard the Minister say, and it confuses me.

I would like to ask the Minister, as well, about the money. He mentioned $75,000 and I understand that’s coming from the sustainability funding, which is federal funding which is not core funding, but it’s money that we get whenever the federal government decides we should get it.

I would like to ask the Minister whether or not any expansion to the Midwifery Program is going to be dependent on non...

Thank you, committee. Sergeant-at-Arms, if you would please escort the witnesses into the Chamber.

Minister Abernethy, could you please introduce your witnesses to the House?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are addressed to the Minister of Health and Social Services. I want to follow up on my Member’s statement and ask some questions on the Midwifery Program report and potential actions coming from that report. In the Minister’s responses to Mr. Bouchard last week there were some references to planning, though they were fairly vague references to planning and some references to expansion of the program. There were recommendations in the report to expand the program.

I’d like to know from the Minister if there is something happening now at the department. I...

Thank you, Mr. Moses. Minister Abernethy, do you have witnesses you wish to bring into the House?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to follow up today on the statement made by my colleague from Hay River North last week about a much needed Midwifery Program. At the urging of residents and Members of the 16th Assembly, in late 2011 the Department of Health and Social Services studied the very small existing midwifery program and produced a report that was made public in spring of this year. That report was referenced by the Minister last week in his replies to Mr. Bouchard’s questions. It was gratifying to hear him say that the expansion of our Midwifery Program is included in the...

Thank you, committee. Bill 2 is now ready for third reading. Thank you, Minister. Thank you to your witness. I think we could probably have the witness stay for the next bill.

Committee, we will go onto Bill 8. Bill 8 is An Act to Amend the Securities Act. We will defer the title of the act until we have gone through clause by clause. Minister, do you have opening comments?

Committee, we will return to page 1, Bill 2, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2012. Bill as a whole, committee.