Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I raised a number of issues about the Liquor Board and its regulations and rules that govern it. Mr. Speaker, quite simply, the residency and the fair representation are the points I’ve been trying to raise. I feel that they could be addressed quite reasonably and fairly here today. Would the Minister of Finance, who represents this particular area in his portfolio, be willing to go back to the table and review the particular regulations that we have accordingly at this time and make residency a requirement as well as acknowledge...

I think we’re sort of saying the same thing, but supporting an independent campus in Yellowknife is not supporting Aurora College in Yellowknife. I think those are two particular differences that we shouldn’t try to drive a wedge between, that shouldn’t exist. I believe it’s the same thing. That’s why I’m asking the Minister, although he says we’re working towards that, I’d like to know if the department supports an independent campus for Aurora College in Yellowknife.

I thank the Minister for that answer. Is it the position of the department to support an independent campus in Yellowknife?

Is the Minister able to provide a definition of what “in due time” means?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In reading the line under the directorate, and of course having the operations expenditure in front of us, I’m just wondering exactly when there’s a line that states the directorate does the capital planning for the department and Aurora College and other educational authorities. What type of capital planning has the Department of Education, Culture and Employment done for Aurora College in the last two years? Furthermore, what is budgeted for this particular budget year for capital planning for Aurora College?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. One of the particular issues I’d like to continue on the early childhood education matter, and Ms. Bisaro was wading into the particular area of concern that I share as well, which is the stabilized funding. Has the department put a lot of resources in the sense of attention and identification as to why certain early childhood centres or, certainly, programming doesn’t succeed?

One of the constant complaints I hear, of course, is stabilized funding. I often wonder has the department taken an initiative to analyze the actual cost of what some of these centres would cost...

I wasn’t sure if that was a confirmation that the Minister will follow that up or if that was a clarification. Mr. Speaker, I’ll ask again, would the Minister be willing to commit to ensure that the chief medical health officer does provide some type of public information and ensure that it’s publicly available so people understand the pros and cons of fluoridation and they are clear as to where they are by community and what levels they are being managed at? Thank you.

I want to thank the department for that. Just moving lastly to one particular area and hopefully I’ll have time to get into another one. On this particular area of early childhood development programming there’s at least a number of centres. Mainly I’m thinking of one in the downtown of Yellowknife and they work through one of the education boards. One of the things, of course, is the funding seems to be sort of stalled. How does the department meet those initiatives where the increased funding demand is there but it appears that the funding committed to the overall program remains at a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does the chief medical health officer provide any type of public education on any of the issues that they oversee? That question would be directed to the Minister of Health and Social Services. Thank you.

I look forward to that. Thank you for that commitment. On that same vein, does the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, through the early childhood development programming -- and I would like to boldly call it initiative because it’s very important that we stand behind these things -- supply or help fund resources that look at physiotherapy, speech and language pathology, things along those types of lines? Now, they’re slightly different when I referred to it earlier. I’m getting sort of into the nuts and bolts of actual accredited organizations. Sorry, accredited skills. My...