Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Minister Lafferty. Ms. Saturnino.

Did the department consider that in the small communities where there was nothing established formally for early childhood development, that perhaps a made-in-the-North, not in association with the school, kind of approach could have been better where we could have involved parents and families and incorporated some other kind of parenting support and training and life skills and different things? I am not trying to be mean to the smaller communities, but obviously there is a higher unemployment rate in those communities and it might have been an opportunity to get parents and children, if...

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Ms. Saturnino.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m probably the umpteenth person who has stood up in this House to talk about Junior Kindergarten, but I have to weigh in on this topic. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Right from the start, who can argue with early childhood development and expanding that within our government? Where the problem lies is how this department tried to take, yet again, a cookie cutter, one-size-fits-all approach to early childhood development in the communities without taking into consideration what impacts that would have and what ripple effect that...

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Legislative Assembly, total department, $328,000. Agreed?

Thank you. I will ask the Sergeant-at-Arms to please escort the witnesses to the table.

Minister Abernethy, for the record, could you please introduce your witnesses.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Minister Abernethy. Before we go to general comments from Members, I would like to ask Mr. Abernethy if he would like to bring witnesses into the Chamber.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Health and Social Services, capital investment expenditures, total department, not previously authorized, $28.111 million. Mr. Yakeleya.