Statements in Debates
Thank you, Madam Chair. Last point, I think maybe I got the wording wrong. I think it’s a report on how they are managing their energy costs rather than an energy management plan. Would there be an opportunity for committee to see that report and perhaps comment on it?
Thank you, Madam Chair. I think this is an extremely important topic here. The Minister says we are not able to discuss what will happen with these critical, important programs that this House has approved as priorities and put in place in this first quarter of the next fiscal year, and yet we are approving 33 percent or, actually, more of the budget, or well over a quarter of the budget, about a third for those three months.
In this budget that we are approving, it is simply a mirror of last year’s, and during last year’s budget those dollars were intended to serve the priorities and programs...
I guess I’d like to know a little more specifically than that. There was actually four. I will mention them again. There’s the child and family services community committees; we’ve committed to getting five of those up and running this fiscal year. I’m assuming that’s going to happen and that we will continue that work. Obviously, we want one in every community. What is the goal for the first quarter that we’re confirming a budget for here with the child and family services committee?
The second one is the early childhood development review that’s being done and I believe should be completed –...
Thank you, Madam Chair. I have a number of comments. I guess I’d like to put them forward in terms of questions. Do we want to start with witnesses?
Thank you. I appreciate the Minister’s response. The next question I have is enforcement. Again I am astounded that a department with the responsibility of regulating land use has essentially no familiarity with the land and admits it, and they’re responsible for regulation and they admit they have no capacity and yet they propose no remedy. Or at least I have not heard one so far. At the same time, MACA is proposing to double a number of leases here and the past leases are in complete disarray in terms of any adherence to regulations. We lack the enforcement. So why is the Minister proposing...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on my colleague’s questions to the Minister of MACA on the whole business as per my statement earlier. I’d like to start by saying that I do appreciate the department going after a renewal of this policy. It was desperately needed and I think there are a lot of lessons obviously being learned along the way and that’s what I want to do is improve this process. I’d like to start by asking the Minister if he could explain how it is possible that the Yellowknives Dene First Nation and the central holders and users of these lands had not even received...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Public consultation towards the recreational leasing policy framework has no sooner been launched than they’ve gone off the rails. Overwhelming feedback from First Nations, leaseholders and the public has demonstrated such basic flaws in MACA’s process and planning that we’re back at square one. How much more wise it would have been to start with consultations, especially given the dearth of MACA’s knowledge and capacity.
Incredibly, the rights of First Nations have not been taken into account. MACA failed to provide the consultation documents directly to the...
Madam Chair, I think the Minister had some good comments there. I guess what I would like to know is the child and family services committees, as an example, we provided funding for those to be established. Since we are duplicating our budget, those dollars will be duplicated in the next fiscal year during the first quarter until such time as we establish new priorities for the last three quarters of the fiscal year. I think it is quite legitimate for us to know, or committee to know, what the goal is for the number of new committees to be established with those dollars. If not, what is the...
Thank you, Madam Chair. Just a quick follow-up and then I’ll give somebody else a turn and return to my questions about ECE programs in a similar vein.
I appreciate this information. A very positive word from the Sahtu. That’s excellent news. Now what I’d like to do is know that this program is going to continue and an additional target has been developed for the first quarter of 2012-2013 to establish new child and family services committees.
Similarly with the Midwifery Program that we now know that it does save us money. Not a surprise to many, I’m sure, but good to have it confirmed. It...
Thank you, Madam Chair. My comments have to do with some of the programs that in the previous Assembly got underway. We’re now proposing a budget for the first quarter of the next fiscal year. I want to know or get some reassurance that these programs will be enabled with this budget to be continued or completed as the case may be. The first one is… Maybe I’ll just mention all of the ones that have to do with Health and Social Services.
The child and family services community committees, there was a goal of five for communities. I assume we’re going to complete that for this fiscal year. Will...