Charles Dent

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there was a good deal of progress made at the meetings on Friday. My provincial and territorial colleagues and the federal Minister went quite a ways towards finalizing what we think will be the wording in a draft agreement. What remains as the biggest stumbling block right now is the money, and without knowing what sort of commitment we’re going to see in the federal budget, there was unwillingness for Ministers around the table to move the process any further. So really the stumbling block right now is money and its allocation. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Deh Cho, that Bill 22, An Act to Amend the Education Act, No. 2, be read for the second time.

Mr. Speaker, this bill amends the Education Act to provide that the Minister shall prescribe the hours of instruction for the academic year for kindergarten, subject to a minimum threshold of 485 hours. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there were a number of constituents in the audience earlier, but there are still two who I would like to recognize: Mr. Blake Lyons, who is a councillor and president of the NWTAC; and Barb Wyness with the Union of Northern Workers.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, there would not be any government money into the provision of that course. The majority of courses that are offered by the college are third-party funded and that’s paid for by application fees or by the students signing up for them. In other cases it’s provided for by funds that are provided by First Nations or by employers. So a good portion of the programming that is offered through the colleges is third-party funded. This one, I suspect, is entirely funded by the fees that would be paid by the students who signed up for the course.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the government hasn’t taken a formal position. I can say personally I was certainly supportive of the federal legislation that was proposed before the last election, and I personally would enjoy seeing the federal government bring that legislation back onto the table. But our government can’t create a criminal offence and that is what I think is necessary in order to properly protect animals in our jurisdiction and across Canada. In terms of what we can do further, I expect that my colleague, the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, and myself...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am sensitive to the public concern around this issue. I have a dog as a pet and was troubled when I saw the pictures and heard the story as well, but at this point I can’t add much to what’s been happening with the investigation. I know that the RCMP have appealed to the public for anybody to come forward who has information on the case and they would welcome anybody providing that. The investigation is continuing, but I believe that the RCMP would welcome some assistance if anybody has any information on the case. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not sure whether or not that would. I would have to check with the college. I will take that question as notice.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, no, there would not be government resources that would go into this. This sort of programming is available across the Northwest Territories. Any person who has an idea for a course can come and pitch the campus director and request use of space when it’s not otherwise being used for college purposes. Then they have to pay for the course and the space themselves. The cost would have to be recovered from fees. The college would not be putting any money into courses like this that are offered outside of the regular programming.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will certainly discuss with Mr. McLeod what the options might be for us to examine our legislation. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the NWT Dog Act says that no person shall punish or abuse a dog in a manner or to an extent that is cruel or unnecessary. So we have legislation in place that is intended to ensure that dogs are treated humanely. It is an issue that under this law is administered by Municipal and Community Affairs, because of their relationship with municipalities. The municipalities can pass bylaws respecting the care and control of dogs, as well. So in terms of what Cabinet has done to change our approach, the Cabinet hasn’t, at this point, done anything. I think we...