Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too wish to use the occasion to wish Mr. Brock well and certainly on his journey that he will be taking. His next steps are unknown to most of us. So let me just say that wherever you go, I am sure you will do a fine job as well.

Mr. Speaker, this also gives me the occasion to welcome Ms. Nicole Latour. Many of us have known her for many years. We have known what great work she did here at the Legislature but we also know her reputation as being a very tough and hard, straight shooter, as she is well known as. If you have ever dealt with Ms. Latour, you will know she’s...

Mr. Speaker I seek unanimous consent to return to item 6 on our orders of the day, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted

The Minister introduced this. Let’s find out what changes he’s referring to, because the last public meeting the daycare folks went to the department told them to suck it up and find a way. So, what are those changes?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the opportunity to ask a question here today. I’m going to follow up on similar questions and not let the Minister of Education off the hook. I think my MLA colleague Mrs. Groenewegen is quite right. I mean, we were there to solve the problem and, as such, it was things about providing child care support for families in small communities and we’ve done completely the opposite, we’ve made a mess.

In short, no one is against the concept of Junior Kindergarten, but now we have day homes at risk. The Minister is poaching one-third of their students; he’s turning...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Now, followed by my favorite phrase: Who is in charge? According to the Aurora College Act, the Minister may give direction to the board. I am not going through it again. The Minister knows this because I told him repeatedly over the years; I have even told him a couple of times today.

---Interjection

By virtue of inaccessibility, they’re accountable to no one. They’re not even accountable to the Minister. May I use the wonderful occasion to educate the Minister responsible, it’s Section 7 under the Aurora College Act, “The Minister may give direction to the Board respecting exercise of its powers and the performance its duties”.

So, if it’s dutiful and responsible and, guess what, that one word again, “accountable” to its students, it would be accessible to those students, every one of them up there. Frankly, putting all that on one person is baloney, and everybody here knows it.

So, would...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too wish to recognize the SADD group. I’ll recognize them as a whole and I’ll thank the Minister of Transportation for highlighting them in his Minister’s statement today. They do great work.

I’d also like to recognize one of our distinguished Table Officers, and I’m sorry to say, my favourite Table Officer – sorry, to the present company – yes, it’s you, Mr. Anthony W.J. Whitford. It’s always great to see you. Although you’re not my constituent, what I’d say is you’re a constituent of every MLA in the North. We all truly dearly love you, sir. Good to see you.

Well, if you want the question, then answer it.

Will you today have the courage to call the Aurora College president and direct an e-mail be publically provided for every single one of those board of governors so they are truly accessible, not hidden in the fray and out of touch?

Mr. Speaker, we continue to waste the public’s time on this by the defence of the status quo by this particular Minister. Section 7.(2)(a) of the Aurora College Act says, “The Minister shall determine the policy respecting the operations, programs and priorities of Aurora College”.

Mr. Speaker, stop sharing the darn concern; direct it – you have the authority, you have the power – and do it in front of everyone here today. That’s it. You could do it today. It is time he actually showed some leadership and just tell the college, you have an e-mail and you are going to be accessible to the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is very fitting we actually have wonderful representatives of our college here today, and I’m very proud to see so many of them. So, it’s great.

One of the issues that I’m going to raise, and I’ve continued to raise, it all boils down to one word: accountability. That’s it. Nothing fancier than that, accountability.

I’ve asked the Minister of Education repeatedly about demanding that the Aurora College boards be, guess what, accountable. How so? Accountable by providing an e-mail address so our students can contact them and, at the same time, have a meeting with each...