Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, Mr. Warren, for your comments. How long has this group or function held this $95,000 negotiated contract? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Excellent. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. With a department that has I think six pages, you have to at least ask a few questions. I don’t think I heard the reduction of 25 percent there. Maybe if the Minister could gratefully reiterate that. I heard there’s a plan that we’re going to be a little smarter on how we purchase the tickets, but I didn’t quite hear the cutback from last year’s travel budget and how we’ve got 25 percent in this year’s travel budget. If the Minister could help me on that number. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just to leave this with one last question, has the Minister investigated potential locations for this new school yet to be determined under which school board? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Can I have the Minister supply it to me later?

I appreciate the passionate response. Thank you, Mr. Minister. I appreciate the commitment. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Without presuming I'm a lease expert or a contract expert, it's my understanding that there is still dispute of who is the ownership of the lease in the sense of who the agreement is still standing with. Either it is with the Yellowknife education board or the GNWT, and that seems, from my understanding, an issue never cleared up since the transfer of the education program directly to the board.

Maybe I'm not being clear. Would the Minister be willing to look at it and substantiate it and just reaffirm that the GNWT either has a commitment or no commitment on this...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’ll just be brief. As I see it, this program means a lot to the communities and to the culture of the communities. It seems like a shame that we would find money for three years through programs and transfers and then let the program dissolve in its own way and evaluate it after. It would only seem reasonable that evaluation would happen before we send it off into the sunset and say goodbye to this program. It seems alike a shame -- shame -- but I’d like to see that the government demonstrates some passion and leadership, which seems to be the theme today, by finding...

Mr. Speaker, you know, I’ll truthfully say I’m exhausted bringing this issue up every day, but thank goodness I’m one of the youngest Members because I’m going to keep going at this darn stamina for four years if this is what it takes to make this Minister listen to this issue. Using that stamina, and sometimes being referred to as stubborn, I’ll move forward and continue to press this Minister to start focusing on the issue of vision and leadership to address this.

One day, Mr. Speaker, as I’m approaching the closing statement, someday this Minister will echo I’m working on this problem. I’ve...

I can’t help but ask one last question. Will the Minister be engaging any of the Yellowknife Members with regard to this new school yet to be determined under which school board? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. When will the Minister be determining which school board this new Yellowknife school will be directed to? Thank you.