Bill Braden

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. One of the best things we have going for us here in the Northwest Territories is our student financial assistance program. It's one of the best in Canada in terms of the extent of support we provide. I think it is one of the great advantages that we hold out to helping families stay in the North and helping attract families to consider growing here and living here and expanding the economy and the society we have.

In looking at the budget item here, Mr. Chairman, I see an increase in the program of $1 million, from about $11.8 million in this current year to $12.8...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the major, perhaps the major outstanding issue of the Giant property, Mr. Speaker, is the question of how we are going to be managing the underground vaults that are full of arsenic trioxide. The federal government has indicated that it wants to proceed with an underground freezing option, and I would like to ask the Minister from the GNWT side has this government considered that option and is it prepared to give it its full endorsement? Thank you.

To the inclusion in the capital plan here, Mr. Chairman, of K’alemi Dene School replacement and, as we have already discussed, a new potential high school in Yellowknife, are these new additions to the capital plan? I am wondering at what point did these items get added to the plan, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to explore this issue of jurisdiction a bit more. There was of course at some point a transfer from federal to territorial jurisdiction for environmental responsibility. Is there difficulty at that sort of large high policy level, or are we simply in dispute about a single site, a single issue cleanup? What is this jurisdictional problem, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What we heard last night, Mr. Speaker, was a strong signal that Yellowknife residents are taking an active interest in what is going on with our neighbours to the north and the east. The feedback that I received was that the meeting was informative and generally well received. I hope that there will be more. Mr. Speaker, I am a supporter of the Tlicho people’s goals and dreams to have their own governing institutions and take charge of their own affairs, through the responsibilities that this government and this legislature has to pass these laws and implement the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On page 9-20, the item at the bottom of the page, the NWTTA professional improvement fund. Noting about a 40 percent increase from the current year to the coming year, I wonder if the Minister could provide some information on the case for this seemingly quite significant jump. Thank you.

Thank you. In the notes here in the main estimates, Mr. Chairman, there is no reference to any particular budget line that may be devoted to starting the implementation, and I'm wondering if the Minister might be able to speak at least on his department for what budgetary measures are anticipated to help get this strategy going. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Okay, thank you. I will ask the question whether you have any ability to know is the need being satisfied through the federal programs? Are we providing enough programs and enough access to satisfy the need? Thank you.

Thank you. In this area and coming from some of the very diligent questioning that Ms. Lee has been putting Ministers to in the area of other expenses, the Minister mentioned under student financial assistance about $4 million for loan write-offs, I believe was the term used. Could the Minister describe what is meant by the term "write-offs?" Thank you.