Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My last question to the Minister of ECE is: In light of all the confusion around junior kindergarten and the strong reaction we are getting from both parents and school boards, would it not be wise just to wait one more year to implement junior kindergarten and that maybe we’ll have more money in place so that we can work out all these problems?

Question has been called. The motion is carried.

---Carried

Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The motion is in order. To the motion.

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order. Ms. Bisaro, wish of committee?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In order for us to make sure we do not hit this wall of worry for our northern and Aboriginal broadcasters in the future, it’s imperative that we put in place the right evaluation tools to prevent this mishap from occurring again.

Assuming we can get a new funding model in place, can the Minister indicate to the House by what measures he plans to evaluate progress after this renewed funding is made available?

I’m encouraged by what I’m hearing today and I’d like to thank the Minister for that. As mentioned, core funding from Heritage Canada has not changed in over 30 years, and coupled with the meagre advertising revenue and inconsistent GNWT funding, this has created a very lean operational base in which to maintain the open doors.

Can the Minister tell me how he’s going to leverage what is possible from the GNWT as own-source funding in order to meet this growing concern, and how is he going to act as a lead negotiator with CanNor opportunities?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. CKLB Radio has been a prominent member of the NWT media community since the 1980s and has been a forum of news, Aboriginal issues, culture, languages, public service announcements and entertainment. The station, with a following of about 20,000 residents, produces Aboriginal language programming as part of its schedule. It plays an integral part of the Aboriginal culture, and with a wide geographic predisposition to deal with, it’s a gathering place of sorts for many.

CKLB also has many Aboriginal listeners who get another perspective on life and culture in the NWT that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your committee has been considering Bill 26, An Act to Amend the Elections and Plebiscites Act; and Committee Reports 7-17(5) and 8-17(5) and would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank the mover, Mr. Bromley, and the seconder, Mr. Nadli, for allowing this discussion to occur today here.

Given almost two pages of whereas within this motion it’s a bit hard to agree with all the points, but it’s easy to agree with some of the points raised, but I’ll try to attempt to take more of a reasonable step back from the specifics of the motion and evaluate the direction we’re asking this government to take and the overall message we’re trying to get through industry.

In preparation for today, I thought bringing back my experiences in science as a...

I thought we were on a roll here, but it seems at a little bit of an impasse. Some of the things that I can introduce to the Minister are simply just indexing what we’re giving annually to this society so we can actually increase with the cost of living.

As I mentioned earlier, CKLB is a Timex watch working in a digital age. Therefore, I’m recommending that the proper funding be provided to assist northern and Aboriginal broadcasters with, specifically, capital equipment replacement costs.

Can the Minister tell me what he’ll do to support this initiative?