Caroline Cochrane

That, I don't know offhand. I do believe that we are interviewing three people, but if the Member would like, then I can confirm that, how many people were actually recommended.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Later on in the session, actually, I'll be doing a Minister's statement on where we are with post-secondary education, so I'm going to be a little bit careful about what I'm saying. Currently, we are right in the middle of the process of the hiring of this associate deputy minister at this time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Again, at this time we're just in the middle of the interview process. I don't know if an offer was put out and if it was turned down. I am hoping, like I said, that we get the best person. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I do have to take responsibility. I was a little bit more optimistic and hopeful that it would be in place at the beginning of the new year, forgetting that people do take Christmas holidays, and even forgetting that I had to take some vacation, myself. I realize that it's a little bit more delayed, and I'm not happy about that, but like I said, we're in the middle of it. We have just done the interviews and we're looking at the reference checks, so as soon as possible, once we make the offer. I can't make a firm date, though. The problem is that, depending on who we offer, if they have...

At first, I agreed. I thought it was a small change to an act, too, and I thought, "Can we get it done?" Then I asked the department. Wisely, the department kind of put me back a bit and they told me the reality is that we're dealing with, like I said, a couple of issues. One is that the Commission scolaire doesn't fit within the package as it is now. Two, how do we deal with the three-year term moving into a four-year term, addressing the gap and the public perception?

We are looking at it seriously. I cannot commit that it will be done within the next couple of months, but the good news is...

Absolutely. We need to really look at where we are spending our monies for education and make sure that we are giving the best supports to not only school boards but ultimately to the students, because they are the ones who we are impacting and they are our future. I do want to say it is a little bit difficult because currently our act is structured so that the terms fall within the municipal government. Right now, it is structured within a two- or a three-year term, so it will be a little bit of a challenge.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to recognize my nephew, Jeremy Beauchamp, the second Cochrane to be in the House. I'm so proud of him. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes. There is a yearly fund that is given to schools to actually purchase more resources, such as library books, if that is their wish. I should note that, within that region, also, the District Education Council is in the process of setting up a virtual library called OverDrive. The current plans will see this virtual library up and running before the end of March 2019, so I am excited to return to the region and actually take a look at what that virtual library will look like, because it will be my first experience, as well.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are a variety of reasons that things actually get thrown out, or books get taken out of libraries. It is a normal procedure. I just want to ensure that, when I first heard the concern, this wasn't a book-burning exercise; that wasn't happening. It is regular that teachers and principals have to go through their books in their libraries to make sure things are still current.

Books get outdated very quickly, covers of books get ripped up very quickly, and cultures change. We are really aware of that. It is very common, actually, to go through books to make sure that...

Yes, as soon as the issue was brought to my attention actually, we have been discussing it and how we can actually make it more efficient and make it work for the population. We do recognize, like I said, there are a few glitches within that that we have to figure out. For one, the Commission scolaire has a different schedule, being with two communities. That makes it an issue.

The other thing is that, if we change it right now, the current term for the Yellowknife ones are three years. Our municipal government is four years. Then how do we bridge that gap, or how do we let the public know that...