David Ramsay

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Minister Roland.

Thank you, Minister Roland. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Minister Roland. Mr. Aitken.

Thank you, Minister Roland. Welcome to Mr. Parker and Mr. Aitken to our proceedings this afternoon. I will now open the floor to general comments on Bill 13. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank committee’s indulgence here. I am not on the Social Programs committee and I don’t get to talk about SFA too often, so I will take my opportunity now. I know the government is on its last legs. There are a couple of weeks left. I just want to get some ideas out there. While we are talking about SFA and ideas, one of the problems that we’ve seen over and over again is the improvement in retention of health care professionals, especially in the small communities and trying to get nurses in the small communities, trying to get teachers in the small communities...

Thank you, Mr. Parker. Anything further, Mrs. Groenewegen?

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Does the committee agree that we bring in witnesses?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to welcome the Minister and his staff to the proceedings this afternoon. Welcome. I am very glad to see that the department has gone forward with this initiative on increasing the limit from $47,000 to $60,000. I just wanted to mention to the Minister that I think this is a step in the right direction, but perhaps what we should be looking at is setting up a separate fund for post-graduate studies specifically for law school, med school and other post-graduate initiatives so that residents here...The cost is continuing to increase. Tuition fees across...

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Minister Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. I will now ask Ms. Lee, chairperson for the Social Programs committee, the committee that reviewed the bill, to provide committee’s comments on the bill. Ms. Lee.