Bob Bromley

The reason I raise this is because we do have a lot of capable public servants in our workforce and there has been a trend in the past to contract out more and more. We hire the experts in the field and then they sit there and do administration when they were hired to actually do the work because they are experts in that field. That is an ongoing concern.

The second question I have on this page is the department is committed to surveying all the major herds, as we learned from the Minister, this fiscal year. Yet I see really a reduction, if anything, to the wildlife management budget. Again I’m...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just wondering why we reduced the support for sport hunter outfitter marketing from $600,000 to $300,000 this year. Clearly, the need is ongoing and I imagine things are getting more stressed as time goes by. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have read the Justice department’s analysis of impacts resulting from the federal crime bill, the so-called Safe Streets and Communities Act. The law’s requirement for mandatory minimum sentences and limitations on additional sentences place huge new burdens upon our policing, courts and correction services, and possibly resulting in tens of millions of dollars more in expenditures, not to mention human costs.

According to the department’s estimate, the need to expand the North Slave Correctional Centre could cost $32 million and perhaps another $35 million for a new...

I’m glad that process is underway. I hope we will see some reallocation of those dollars. My last question on this page, the minerals, oil and gas up considerably again. Is that related to the contract services and the mineral strategy again?

That’s all, thanks.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My first question here is on the contract services end of things. Considerable jump up there. I know we have a lot of capacity in the department. Just in terms of getting some information on that, what is that extra $600,000 or so going to be directed to? I suspect it might be directed to some of the caribou herd estimates but I’d like to find out that detail.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just want to follow up on a question. This department is the lead on energy planning and policy development. I know with respect to the Ministerial Energy Coordinating Committee, the old one, the Minister of ITI was the chair of that committee. That was a good fit. I understand now that the Premier has retained the ministerial mandate for new energy initiatives and yet this department is doing all the planning. I’m wondering how the mechanics of that works and how do those coordinate. Who is the chair of the Ministerial Energy Coordinating Committee on Climate Change...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I had a couple questions on this page. First of all, there’s quite an increase on the contract services budget and I’m wondering if I can get an explanation of what the intention is for those extra dollars in contract services.

That’s all. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I do note that there has been a substantial reduction in the overall budget for forest management, $33.6 million down to $28.6 million. I suspect that is related to not starting out with the same degree of capability or capacity, I guess, for fighting forest fires, but I would like to get that confirmed.

As well, in the contract services, getting into the detail, there is a reduction in the order of $3 million.

Finally, I am concerned about the reduction of $300,000 from forest resources. As we’ve discussed in the House before, as we move toward important biomass...