Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The first few years of a child’s life are crucial to learning and development and much of what they could learn depends upon being able to hear. Forming neuropathways during brain development, language skills, the soothing voice of their mothers when they fall, shouted warnings to avoid injuries, and lullabies before they sleep all require the ability to hear, and hear well.

For families with babies hard of hearing, however, hearing aids are expensive and not every family with a young child in need of them is able to afford to give their child the lifeline to the world...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to keep the Minister of ECE hopping today. On June 4, 2015, a feasibility study of universal affordable daycare was tabled in this House, and early childhood education and care provides multiple benefits to children, families and societies. Its documented outcomes have led rich jurisdictions and poor to enhance programming opportunities for young children. The NWT’s Early Childhood Development Framework and associated action plan reflect global trends aimed at improving access to quality early childhood programs.

I would like to ask the Minister, does he...

Mr. Speaker, in accordance with Rule 36(3), I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Frame Lake, that Minister’s Statement 221-17(5) be moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. So, how is the pursuit of a system of universal affordable daycare being advanced in the transition reports being prepared for the 18th Assembly to assure that this opportunity is realized?

Indeed, those are important factors that some of us have been speaking about for at least eight years. It’s disappointing that more progress has not been made in this area as the benefits at all levels of family and society of a comprehensive universal affordable daycare system in the NWT would be far reaching. According to the study, the NWT’s child care system is immature, more closely resembling a cottage industry than a universal service.

I am wondering: what are the barriers of moving forward with an affordable comprehensive universal daycare system for people of the NWT, recognizing that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What say we head out for coffee and a visit? Oops! Sorry. You have a role defined by this Assembly that you’re required to discharge here in the House right now. In theory that applies to my colleagues and myself, too, but in practice it would appear that our presence here is superfluous as it’s apparent that Cabinet neither requires nor welcomes our input into matters of state, that we are an annoyance to be swatted away like a mosquito, or we are to be best treated like mushrooms, kept in the dark and well fed. You get the idea.

Recent examples of this attitude towards...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also rise in support of my colleague. I appreciate him bringing this forward and I will speak to this later in the House. Specifically to the point of privilege, this is a one-time benefit, this expenditure of dollars, when what is needed is lasting benefits.

Unfortunately, what we’re dealing with here is a repeat. This was done last year, less than a year ago, and we raised the same issues then. Yet, here it is again. This is robbing the voice of duly elected people who were put in place to speak on behalf of our representatives in major decisions such as this.

Again...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Welcome to the Minister and his staff. I appreciate the opportunity to speak briefly in response to this document, the capital budget. I don’t think it’s any secret that our population is struggling with the cost of living and that infrastructure that addresses the cost of living is a priority for both our people and our Members here.

On that basis, I’m a little disappointed, as the Minister knows, at the lack of community energy projects that will address in a long-term, comprehensive, meaningful way the cost of energy, both heating and electricity, across the...

I think Members of the House greatly appreciate the department and Mr. Lafferty taking on this study. It was a comprehensive piece of work. The conclusions note in the report that kindergarten assessments indicate that two out of five children are entering school with delays that will likely compromise their academic chances. No society can prosper when such a huge portion of its youngsters are left behind.

We’ve done the work, as the Minister says. It’s apparent that the benefits of a universal daycare are huge. We have a study and an action plan. All we need now is some commitment on the part...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all I want to thank all of my colleagues for their participation in the debate today and of raising their various perspectives.

First of all I’d like everybody to realize, in the Northwest Territories, that we’re talking about very big dollars here, very, very big dollars, and when we are doing that you can get a real distortion and move away from objectivity into distorted views and so on and a lot of biases.

So, I know it’s frustrating for the public, but that’s not unusual and it’s something we have to deal with. The public’s voice will be prevailing, but I...