Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On Sunday, January 29th, six people were brutally murdered at the Sainte-Foy Islamic Cultural Centre in Quebec City, gunned down in a cowardly attack motivated by fear and hatred. This attack has shaken our country and I join the voices of millions of Canadians who categorically condemn this act of terror. Canada must be a place that is safe for anyone to practice their own religion.

Mamadou Tanou Barry, Abdelkrim Hassane, Khalid Belkacemi, Aboubaker Thabti, Azzeddine Soufiane and lbrahima Barry. These are the names of those who tragically lost their lives. I state their...

As this strategic plan is going to be coming into effect with the coming budget as well, is there money in the budget to help implement the strategy and support the apprenticeship program?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the mandate commitments is this government will take steps to close the skills gaps using the Skills 4 Success strategic framework, by working with Aurora College, a renewed strategic plan refocusing support for post-secondary institutions in the NWT, improving outcomes from our community learning centres, strengthening the apprenticeship program, and improving our career development services. I want to take a look at this specific mandate commitment, Mr. Speaker, and ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment how the government is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If there are some dollars that are required by the strategy, is the Minister able to indicate whether the government will have fiscal flexibility to invest in apprenticeships in the Northwest Territories as per our mandate commitment? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Certainly, the Minister is correct that this is an area that needs a lot of work. I spoke to a business owner in my riding of Kam Lake who said he is ready to hire if only there are people for the jobs. I think it is imperative we get Northerners going. Can the Minister provide some more specifics on where this plan is? Have we started it? Are we going to see it early this year? Late this year? It doesn't sound like we have a very firm timeline for the development of this. I would like to get a little bit more detail if he could.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister responsible for Human Resources what the intention is for providing whistleblower protection for our public servants. Previously, the department has committed to both standalone legislation and to updating the Public Service Act to contain this provision. So what is the intention? Are we going forward with a standalone Whistleblower Protection Act, or are we simply making changes to the Public Service Act? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you to the Minister for that answer. It seems that we do need to explore other options to suit our unique circumstances as a territory. If we're going to invest in infrastructure today, we need to look up those options so we can free up more time for investment. So it sounds like the Minister is doing that, and that's great, but how are we ensuring adequate oversight of P3 projects? Can the Minister provide honourable Members with some examples?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we've seen a number of proposals for some infrastructure projects that are going as P3s. These partnerships have often been criticized. Notably, in 2014 there was a report from the Ontario Office of the Auditor General that indicated there could be an awful lot of savings if government handled the projects themselves. As we're looking towards P3s, I'd like to ask the Minister of Finance why we are pursuing a P3 options, what the advantages are over government capital projects. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know it's important to consult with our stakeholders, but it's also important to make decisions here in this House, and I know a number of honourable Members who have raised this concern that we want to see these amendments roll forward. So is this more delay from the department, or are we still committed to getting these changes done before the end of our term? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

When will this meeting occur?