Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that we report progress.

So the particular strategic initiative committee on the regionalization of government was not one of the original five? Or was it a subcommittee of one of the original five? Because the ones that the Premier formerly noted — Refocusing Government, Maximizing Opportunities, Building Our Future, Managing This Land — were definitely part of the original five. We were aware of who the ministerial lead would be on those and who else would comprise the rest of those particular initiative committees. So what’s the status of the one on the regionalization of government at this time?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask the Premier if he could list for us again what information we’ve been working off of as Members with respect to the strategic initiative committees, Cabinet committees, Ministerial committees that were formed. Thank you.

One of the things that has precipitated some immediate action on the part of this government with respect to capital infrastructure for education has been catastrophic events like fire, flood, collapsing roofs, things like that. The only thing that has come to light in Hay River which caused the closure of the school on a temporary basis was air quality. There were air samples taken and sent down South, and it was eventually determined that the school was safe to reopen.

I’d like to ask the Minister: has he actually seen the results of those air quality tests, and would he be willing to table...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said in my Member’s statement today, I’m very concerned about the condition of the Diamond Jenness Secondary School and where it is in terms of this government’s priorities — a year of new school openings and some very large budgets, shall we say, to go to address the needs of educating students in other communities and other regions. Could the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment please advise what the status is of this government addressing the substandard conditions at Diamond Jenness Secondary School?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We were having a discussion in the House yesterday about the Members’ desire to be more involved in the activities and actions of this government that are initiated by the Cabinet and by the Premier. In response to that — I suppose in an effort to defend the government’s record — the Premier made reference to an offer that was for Regular Members to participate on certain committees.

As Chair of P and P I was tasked to respond to the government, the Premier and Cabinet that we did not wish to participate on those committees. I think that particular bit of information was...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank my colleague Ms. Bisaro for bringing this bill forward. I also support it. We live in a day and age when few have much, and there is a segment of our population, in fact of our world, that has very little. This is an opportunity, I believe, to share in a meaningful way.

I was raised in a family business, which was a grocery store and meat market. We had a big family to take stuff home to when it was past its best before date. Many times there’s really nothing wrong with these things, yet merchants and food outlets cannot sell things beyond a certain...

The Premier is absolutely right: we have had an exchange and a dialogue on these strategic initiative committees. The one that has come to light most recently, which I’m a little bit curious about and do not recall having seen it referred to before, is the one on the regionalization of government. Could the Premier perhaps outline what the mandate of that particular committee would be?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I could be corrected, but I believe that the Chair of the education authority had asked to see those actual reports, and I had asked too. Perhaps the education council has received them subsequently, but I have never seen them.

Again, I’d like to ask the Minister if he is confident that the school is safe and the air is safe regardless of those asbestos issues that were there. Would he be willing to confirm that for the people who use that facility by tabling those air quality reports in this House?

I do thank the Minister for attending the school in Hay River with us and going on a tour of that facility. As a result of those visits, though, we were told that the Diamond Jenness Secondary School replacement or renovation had been red flagged. I understood that to mean that it had been designated as having some significant priority in the list of capital demands that this government is dealing with.

I’d like to ask the Minister: when we were told red flagged, what did that mean?