Shane Thompson

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am very concerned that this government is looking at the lottery funding as an opportunity to get away from our commitment through the money from the $650,000. It is a concern. The money that is in lotteries presently, for the last five years, has been going to the five partners' organizations, which is the grassroots. The other people on the other side can shake their heads and say, no, this is not what we are doing, but this is how I am looking at it.

This is how I am feeling this government is utilizing lotteries, once it comes in the system, that it becomes part of...

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the deputy minister for her answer. I am still struggling with this, though. I am not talking about retirement. I am not talking about leave. I am talking: what is the best service for the residents of the Northwest Territories? When I talk about looking at the position being in Fort Smith, again, we are talking two taxbased communities that don't utilize or need that service as much as the smaller communities. So, when we are looking at these cuts, it was not logically done, in my opinion, because most of the work, the capacity that needs to be done is in the...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. In regards to community policing, I am looking at the business plan, and I am trying to understand how the department responds to issues in the smaller communities that do not have detachments. Can the Minister explain how many trips are supposed to occur in the communities, starting with Jean Marie? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, if I understand this correctly, the next games, we have the North American Indigenous Games in Toronto, the Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg, and the Arctic Winter Games in Hay River Fort Smith to which Team NWT is supposed to be going. So you are saying that, this $500,000, they can do that with these three games coming into place. Is this correct? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I guess I'm struggling with this decision. If you're taking it out of Fort Simpson, which we have six small communities, four very small communities that are designated authorities, and to keep it in Fort Smith, which is Hay River and Fort Smith, they're not going to use those resources. They're not going to tap into this as much as the small communities need it.

I understand the technology, but my biggest concern is: where is the department's commitment to developing the capacity in these small communities? If you're using technology by Internet and that, great, but where...

I understand that the policy has not been developed yet, but is the government looking at actually using lottery dollars to pay for the staffing? Is that one of the recommendations or idea that they are looking forward to?

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for that answer. Will the Minister then provide us with what the department is doing for the youth at the North American Indigenous Games? Besides the team going, what other opportunities the youth ambassadors are able to go? I am not talking about Team NWT. I am asking about the youth ambassadors. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for that. Yes, I would really appreciate it if we could see if all this funding is being utilized to this date. Thank you, Mr. Chair. If the Minister can make that commitment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs talked about Western Canadian Lottery in the Sutcliffe Report. In there, she goes on to give us a bit of information about recommendations, and recommendations that weren't followed. Can the Minister please provide us: what two recommendations from the Sutcliffe Report were not adopted? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think what I will do is a colleague once told me, if you didn't ask the question, ask it again properly. So the question is: the youth ambassadors program is being offered; this is in your opening remarks. So how many youth ambassador programs are being offered for this fiscal year coming up? Thank you, Mr. Chair.