Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a comment and a couple of questions here.

I want to follow up to discuss the project for the Children First Society, the early childhood care and education facility in Inuvik. Like other Members, I fully support this project, it’s needed, and I give full credit to the members of the Children First Society, who did a great job of raising funds and have done an excellent job to get themselves the facility that they know they need.

My concern with this particular project is the process that was used to get it to the capital budget. We have apparently, according to...

I didn’t hear the Minister say when that is, so I hope that’s soon. I’d like to know from the Minister, it seems that in the last little while that it appears to me that reports are done, and then before the report gets tabled there are responses from management.

I’d like to know from the Minister whether or not this has become a current practice that a report is asked for, a report is received, and before the report actually gets tabled, the management response is asked for. Is this something which is becoming standard practice in the Minister’s department and across government?

Thank you, Mr. Moses. I didn’t hear a question there either. Minister, did you wish to comment?

To the Minister, I appreciate that he’s going to make this report available, but I believe it’s before standing committee already. My question is whether or not, or why it can’t be made available to the public. I’m sure that the recommendations in that report would like to be seen by some of the people who had input, would like to be seen by some of the people who are using SFA right now. I would again ask the Minister when he anticipates that this report can be tabled.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. I didn’t hear a question there. Minister, did you feel the need to respond?

I think the Minister said that the report is not public. That’s my understanding, I think. I’d like to know from the Minister if the report has been received by the Minister and there has been a response to the report. I would think that there are many people in the public who would like to know what the report says. So I’d like to ask the Minister whether it is the intention of the Minister to make the report and its recommendations available to the public. Could he table it in the House perhaps, and hopefully soon? Thank you.

Thank you, committee. We’ll move onto pages 8-6 and 8-7, Education, Culture and Employment, activity summary, education and culture, infrastructure investment summary, total infrastructure investment summary, $2.329 million. Any questions, committee? Mr. Dolynny.

The North needs a search and rescue base located in the North. This Discovery Air/Airbus Military joint bid is good for Yellowknifers, good for Northerners, and good for all Canadians. All NWT politicians and leaders should support the Discovery Air/Airbus Military proposal. Thank you.

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

Mr. Lafferty, if you could introduce your witnesses for the record, please. Thank you.

Committee, we will come back to order. We are starting the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, page 8-2. We will leave the department summary until we have completed the rest of the sections of the department. We will move to page 8-4. Before we do that, Minister Lafferty, do you have witnesses you wish to bring into the Chamber?