David Krutko

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to table the document from the United Nations in regard to the General Assembly, United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Document 24-16(2), United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, tabled.

I would have you turn to the Schedule on page 3. We’re on page 3 of the Schedule: Interim Amounts of Appropriation for 2008-2009 fiscal year, part 1, vote 1, Operations Expenditure.

On the bill as a whole.

The bill as a whole approved.

Question has been called.

Committee motion to amend the Schedule in Bill 1 carried.

Mr. Speaker, in regard to the quality and the condition of these units, as I say, most of them were purchased from the government when they sold off our staff housing. Again, a lot of these units are aging over time, and I think we do have to bring them up to a certain rating. I’d like to ask the Minister, working with his colleague at the Ministry of Housing, if they can look at implementing a program to assist those communities and developers to upgrade those facilities and also expand them, so we can allow for more teachers and more resource people to be able to take advantage of these...

Environment and Natural Resources, appropriation authority required: $1,765,000.

Environment and Natural Resources, $1,765,000 approved.

Welcome, witnesses.

General comments in regard to the bill? Is the committee agreed with the detail?

Again, Mr. Speaker, I ask: what is the reason behind having to do a pilot project? A lot of the government staff housing was sold off to a lot of development corporations. They purchased these assets strictly for staff, by way of teachers and that, in our communities. But yet the possibility of doing that is already in place.

I’d just like to ask the Minister: why aren’t you following existing programs and services to do exactly what you’re saying you’re going to do, without having to do a pilot project?

The motion is being circulated. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Is the committee agreed that the Minister bring in his witnesses?