David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to speak today in response to the press release regarding the latest news on the Deh Cho Bridge. It was just two weeks ago that the Minister and his staff came before committee and said everything was fine even though numerous questions remained. The main contractor, ATCON, had been let go, the design work was still not complete and yet the Minister and even the Finance Minister in his budget address said the project could be completed on budget, although there will be a year’s delay. The government was quick to say that the new design would be less expensive...

Mr. Speaker, I am just wondering why it has gotten to this stage, why something wasn’t done further in the past. We should have done something about this a long time ago. I would like to ask the Minister, is it going to cost the Government of the Northwest Territories anything to remove the players from the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation and that former project management team? Are we going to be paying anything for that? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Transportation. I think the Minister has, obviously, some explaining to do to both Members of the House and the public when it was just a couple of weeks ago that the Minister stood up in this House and replied to some questions that I had for him at the time, stating that the new design on the Deh Cho Bridge would be less expensive to construct and they were still under the impression that the project could get completed on budget even though there was a delay of one year. Here we are two weeks later and the Minister is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess ultimately we are going to be paying the price for the poor performance of that project management team. I would like to ask the Minister today whether or not the Government of the Northwest Territories is going to have any legal recourse with that former project management team on the increased costs and the failure to deliver this project, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

I think we should treat everybody fairly and equally. That includes apprentices and anybody wanting to further their education. If that’s in southern Canada, then it’s in southern Canada. Either we’re going to support people or we’re not. Apprentices should not be treated any differently than anybody else. I’d like to ask the Minister if he has any flexibility whatsoever when it comes to this policy so that when somebody is caught in a predicament where they can go to a third year and get it done while they’re already there, which makes absolute sense, is there any flexibility that the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wanted to follow up with some more questions to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I wasn’t really satisfied with the responses that I got from the Minister on the fact that we are treating folks who go out for training for apprenticeship training differently than we are treating college students. I’m just wondering, according to the Minister’s logic, why the Government of the Northwest Territories, because we have infrastructure on the ground for post-secondary studies here and programs running in the Northwest Territories, why do we fund students to...

Mr. Speaker, again, I think we should be encouraging people to attend our post-secondary institutes here in the Northwest Territories. However, we should not be forcing people to attend post-secondary studies or apprenticeship programs here in the Northwest Territories. The program the Minister talks of in Fort Smith starts on April 7th. As I mentioned in my Member’s statement, this young man would already be concluded his third year studies at NAIT, back here working in Yellowknife as a third-year apprentice earning more money. Mr. Speaker, I think the Minister should at least take a look at...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I bear questions today for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. It gets back to my Member’s statement where I was talking about a young apprentice doing his electrical apprenticeship. He is currently at NAIT wrapping up a second year studies there at NAIT. There is a seat that is opened right now that he could go into to begin his third year. He has enough hours. I find it completely and utterly unbelievable that the government would tell this young man to pack his things, come back to Yellowknife, earn less money and then go to Fort Smith in April. That...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to speak today about a situation that has arisen with a constituent in his efforts to get schooling to fulfill his apprenticeship program. He is currently attending NAIT to finish his second year electrical apprenticeship. He has set himself up with accommodation, transportation and other logistics in Edmonton to conduct his schooling. An opportunity has come for him to start his third year schooling almost immediately upon the completion of his second year. He is comfortable being there and familiar with his surroundings, which is conducive to him...

I think the Minister is missing my point. The point is that this individual can start his third year almost immediately. He can be concluded that third year prior to April 7th when the program starts in Fort Smith, which would enable him to come back home to Yellowknife and pursue his further apprenticeship. I would like to ask the Minister, has there been allowances under the policy in the past that saw individuals allowed to attend back-to-back years at NAIT or SAIT?