Jane Groenewegen

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize in the visitors gallery Sophie Hall, who has been a tireless worker on behalf of French first language education in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Does committee agree?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to follow the lead of my colleague from Hay River North from earlier this week, and speak briefly to the issue we are seeing every day in the media with regard to our country’s capital and the elected and appointed leaders there.

As a territory, we have a close working relationship with the Government of Canada through the party and leaders in power. We have most recently had considerable dealings with Canada in pursuing our aspirations for greater self-determination through our Devolution Agreement.

I am saddened as I watch the nightly news as the saga of...

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. General comments. Next I have Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Minister Lafferty. Before we go to general comments, I’d like to ask the chair of the standing committee that reviewed this bill if he would like to please provide committee’s remarks. Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Minister Lafferty. Does committee agree?

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole back to order. Before the break the committee indicated that we were going to start with Bill 12. I’d like to ask Minister Jackson Lafferty at this time if he would like to deliver his opening remarks. Minister Lafferty.

Minister Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess I can go along with looking into this, but it sounds like a very, very costly thing and there are, maybe call me old-fashioned, but there’s a few words that are being used here by my colleagues that, kind of, you need trained educators to look after our babies from zero to three. I just have a mental picture of somebody going from the daycare to the hospital and taking the baby out of the nursery and taking it over to the daycare. I don’t know. What about moms or what about parents and dads and moms that want to stay home and look after their kids? When you...

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Next for general comments I have Mr. Bouchard.