Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it has been brought to my attention by several constituents that the implementation of junior kindergarten has left more than a few gaps.

These concerns were brought to me by parents and northern teachers who are concerned with the implications of several of the shortfalls of the junior kindergarten program. Currently, there is still no provision for signing-in and signing-out of children. So far, we have been lucky, but I am curious as to why, when I pick my own son up from his privately run after-school program, I must sign him out, while there is no...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you for the response. It was very thorough. Where are these positions located? Are they all in headquarters, or are there also regional front-line client service officers? Thank you.

Thank you. Apart from this kind of standard outreach, what other client-facing positions and programs are supported in this budget? The Minister is well aware that I and others of my honourable colleagues have brought numerous procurement issues to his attention, and he does not seem to be aware of them before they come on the floor of the House. What is the department doing to address that? There are a lot of concerns out there. They don't seem to be reaching the Minister's ears. How is this budget improving either a complaint process or some client-facing service officer who can listen to...

I don't know if the department has this information on hand, but what, statistically, does 200 participants represent? How many clients is the GNWT doing business with in a given fiscal year? Is 200 close to a majority, or is this just a sliver of the overall economic field? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I note that this activity includes procurement shared services. I would like to know: what funding is being put in place to enhance the department's outreach to clients through procurement shared services to better understand the GNWT's procurement system? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move the Chair rise and report progress. Thank you.

Looking at the industry codes, the ferry industry pays $4.74. When the Department of Infrastructure is offering their own ferry services, they're paying 88 cents, as the Minister says. From the prospective of the private sector, that that seems to be an unfair rate to be charged. The Minister said he'll take a look at it, but can we get more than that? Can he actually commit to reaching out to the industry and having a real conversation with meaningful engagement with stakeholders who feel that the rate structure unfairly gives government a break when their costs keep going up?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would encourage the Minister to move expediently on it. Moving to the Film Industry Rebate Program, Members have had an opportunity to speak with the professional association around the film industry in the Northwest Territories, and also look at how this program performs. It's moved from a pilot project to a full-time funding pool, which is fantastic, but again, this is another one where we see very similar funding allocations year on year. If we want to expand the presence of the film industry, especially down-market production, we're going to need to put more...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Following up on questions asked by my honourable friend from Nahendeh, can the Minister responsible for the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission tell us what class and subclasses apply to the Government of the Northwest Territories toward the WSCC's rate structure? Thank you.

Thank you. This funding is crucial capital for entrepreneurs and for businesses that are looking to develop, to grow, and to pursue expansion, and there is just not a lot of private equity out there being floated to northern businesses. I see this fund as a key way that the government can help diversify the economy directly, and yet, we do not see substantial increases to this pot of money.

I recall a couple of years ago when similar arguments were being made to increase the Mineral Incentive Program, which was done, and currently that fund pays out and is contributing a lot to our economy. Why...