David Krutko

Ms. Bisaro.

Sergeant-at-Arms, escort the witnesses in,

For the record, Mr. Minister, can you introduce your witnesses, please.

Thank you Mr. Minister. At this time I would like to ask the Minister if he will bring in any witnesses, Mr. Lafferty.

Does committee agree?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will be supporting the motion. I feel quite strongly that we have to look at alternative measures to come to a solution to this bypass. I think that there are solutions out there. There have been precedents set in other areas, that we talk about managing the herds, the Bluenose herd, for instance, an area where I come from in which there was actually an agreement between the Inuvialuit, the Gwich’in, the Sahtu to look at bag limits for communities. There again, they did a survey of the caribou. They said they were in crisis. They were down to 5,000 animals. Apparently...

Mr. Speaker, I was hoping through the Minister I would be able to find a way to work around the situation with the students. They don’t have to be out of school for three weeks. They can have the sporting event over a weekend. They can fly them to the event, take part in the event, fly them home and then basically, if they qualify for the games, fly them to the games after the qualifications, but don’t keep them in the South Slave for two weeks because the event is happening in Grande Prairie. That is what I am asking of the Minister. Would he seriously consider talking to these organizations...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Education. It’s in regard to my Member’s statement and the Minister’s statement he made here in the House about the number of absences we’re seeing in our schools and yet, Mr. Speaker, the Sport North organization is having to take a student out of school for some three weeks just to make the trials and also to take part in the trials and then, from there, wait until they have to go to the Arctic Winter Games because of the location where the trials are being held. But yet, Mr. Speaker, other sporting events have...

Thank you. Next on the list is Mr. Yakeleya.

Mr. Speaker, I believe last week the Minister of Education made a statement in the House in regard to student absences and the problem that we’re seeing across the Territories. Mr. Speaker, it amazes me that Sport North, who are going to be hosting the dog mushing trials in Fort Smith, that people from the Mackenzie Delta who are going to take part in these trials have to drive from Mackenzie Delta to Fort Smith. Mr. Speaker, the students that are taking part in these trials will have to take three weeks of school off because of the way the trials have been set up.

Mr. Speaker, it’s...

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Next on the list I have Mr. Bromley and then Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Bromley.