Bob McLeod

Our government continues to hire summer students. In comparison to previous years we are down approximately 25 percent in the numbers of summer students that we’ve been hiring to date.

Our government already has a commitment to hire all of the graduates from the teachers program, the nurses program, and the Social Work Program. The caveat is that not everybody is going to get a job in Yellowknife or the larger centres. Some of these jobs are offered throughout the Northwest Territories. If you’re not prepared to be mobile, then it’s considered that once you’re made a job offer and you turn it down, then that’s considered as the government meeting its commitment.

The Department of Human Resources is not providing such a program. At the advice of the Small and Rural committee, they recommended to the Department of Education to make such a fund available. I understand the Department of Education is making about $400,000 a year available to the private sector to hire summer students.

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Friday, May 13, 2011, I will move that Bill 11, An Act to Amend the Public Service Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Ed Jeske, who came to work at East Three in the 1950s and we’re fortunate that he stopped to stay behind in Yellowknife. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Further to my Return to Written Question 2-16(6), I wish to table the following three documents entitled: Negotiated Contracts Annual Report, Contracts Awarded Under Negotiated Contracts Policy, September 2007 to September 2008; Negotiated Contracts Annual Report, Contracts Awarded Under Negotiated Contracts Policy, October 2008 to September 2009; and Negotiated Contracts Annual Report, Contracts Awarded Under Negotiated Contracts Policy, October 2009 to September 2010. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, in 2007 the newly elected 16th Legislative Assembly identified a vision of “Strong individuals, families and communities sharing the benefits and responsibilities of a unified, environmentally sustainable and prosperous Northwest Territories.” Today I would like to provide an update on a critical project that supports this goal: the Mackenzie Gas Project. This basin opening project and nation building endeavour will be a key economic driver for our future. Constructed and operated in an environmentally and socially responsible way, the pipeline will provide a secure supply of...

We’ve been working very closely with the federal government to get ready for the pipeline. We are working to identify the permits that will be issued and how we can make sure that we process the 7,000 permits that are required for the pipeline to go ahead on a timely basis and that we can work together so that all the requirements are met so that the pipeline can go ahead.

This is another important step in the process to getting the pipeline constructed. The next big step is to get the two parties, the federal government and the pipeline proponents, together to negotiate and finalize a fiscal framework.

I want to emphasize that the proponents are not looking for subsidies. What they are looking for is loan guarantees so that the constructors of the pipeline will get some assistance with financing and that the pipeline will go ahead. We also have to finalize an access and benefit agreement with one of the Aboriginal governments. That will put us well on our way to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize two Pages from Yellowknife South: Monique Chapman and Stephanie Thibault, and also all the Pages who have worked here through this session. Also a constituent of Yellowknife South, Mr. Barry Taylor.