Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, too, would like to speak on the matter of the Yellowknife Improvement Plan that the Minister of Transportation brought forward to this House in his statement yesterday.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to lay out some of my own facts. Canada places 124th out of 141 countries ranked by the World Economic Forum for cost competitiveness of its travel and tourism industry, and a recent analysis says that much of this has to do with both ticket taxes and airport fees.

Mr. Speaker, airport charges alone account for 25 per cent of the price difference between airfares in...

Thank you. Just on the matter of the Education Act, in particular visavis communications, there was a change in instructional hours that was negotiated between the Teachers' Association and the government. Now, that change needs to be reflected in legislation. However, that is coming late in the day to legislators, so are those kinds of realities being properly understood by the department, and are we going to catch those in the future? I think it is very important we remember the very important role that standing committees and elected officials play in reviewing legislation and ensuring that...

Thank you. How many policy analysts, policy positions, are within that line item, policy, legislation and communications, on page 31? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As many of my honourable friends have mentioned, the communications exercises that the department has been engaged in I don't think have been meeting either the department's goals or the public interest. Junior kindergarten, quite frankly, was a mess from the first roll-out to where we are today; we're still trying to sort through that mess. My honourable friend the Member for Frame Lake referred to it as slippery as a dead fish; that made, I think, the front page of the local newspaper, and I think we're all feeling that way.

I know the Minister is trying his best, but...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have some opening comments for this department. Much has been said by my honourable friends on the issues surrounding junior kindergarten, inclusive education, Aboriginal Head Start, and many of the more high-profile issues that we have debated in this Chamber. One thing is clear: the focus of the Minister's responsibilities are very much geared toward education, and currently the priority seems to be on pre-kindergarten-to-12 education, and the supports for students after the fact.

We are not taking a hard look at some of the other responsibilities and giving them, I...

Can the Minister advise if he can update the appropriate standing committee or perhaps members of the public, Members of this House, on the progress of land use planning on regular intervals, on this and all the other unsettled claim areas?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to return to my line of questions to the Minister of Lands. He had mentioned in his response where they are at with the Deh Cho process, so I wonder if he can tell me if there has been a decision on the dispute or the difference of opinion between land quantum. Has the government moved its position on land quantum at all? Thank you.

The government has had 10 years to work out these issues. Is it going to take another 10?

Merci, Monsieur le President. [Translation] I have some questions for the Minister of Lands [Translation ends]. Again, the mandate commitment is complete land use plans for all areas, including regions without land and resource agreements in collaboration with Aboriginal governments. So I would like to ask the Minister, of the two regions without land and resource agreements, the Akaitcho and the Deh Cho, what is the status of those two land use plans? Thank you.

Thank you. Does the department feel that this is a sufficient complement of staff to succeed in its legislative agenda as it is currently envisioned and adequately consult and communicate that legislative agenda with Members of the public and the standing committees as appropriate? Thank you.