Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to speak about this government’s approach to expenditure reductions. Mr. Speaker, the budget presented by the Minister of Finance today is far leaner than we have seen for some time, and it is a result of a strategy to achieve a $20 million reduction. From what I understand about the processes to achieve this target, Mr. Speaker, each department and Minister was initially asked to identify ways to cut their spending in their department by three percent. It was an across-the-board exercise for all departments.

Mr. Speaker, this...

Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to move to recognition of visitors in the gallery on the order paper, please. Thank you.

There is a motion on the floor to report progress. The motion is not debatable. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

I will rise and report progress.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have two petitions. This is a petition signed by probably about 2,400 people petitioning against of the closure of Dene K’onia and the remand facility in Hay River.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to direct my questions to the Minister of Finance. I wish I could get excited about all the good news in the budget, but there are some unhappy things…

---Laughter

There is a lot of good news in the budget and I think everybody knows, including Mr. Roland, that I think he does a very good job. I wouldn’t want to be the Finance Minister for any amount of money. I think he did a good job today and some people in the gallery even said…

---Applause

Some people out in the Great Hall today said it was the best budget address they’ve ever heard. But I’ve...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize a number of people from Hay River who are here today in the gallery. I am going to go through the names of the people who have been recently laid off by the Department of Justice: Bobbi Hamilton, 35 years of service; Faye Johns, 24 years with the Department of Justice; Ruth Lafferty, 18 years in Justice; Margaret Jerome, 16 years with the GNWT; Drew Thompson, eight years in Justice; a husband and wife team, Andy and Alida McKay. Andy with 13 years with GNWT and Alida with two years in Justice; Brenda McAllister, eight years in...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Braden is ringing a bell and Ms. Lee is crowing and…

---Laughter

…I just want to stand up and sing a good song. Mr. Speaker, I want to take the first available opportunity today at the reconvening of session to thank a number of people.

Leading up to the Christmas break, we had the Minister of Justice, the Honourable Charles Dent, come to Hay River to meet with community leaders with respect to plans for changes in justice services in Hay River.

Subsequent to that, Premier Joe Handley also came to Hay River to meet about numerous items; the most pressing...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I remember some time ago getting into quite a debate in this House with Mr. Dent with respect to religious education in schools in Hay River. I would just like to confirm with the Minister then that this is a public institution and so if a faith-based organization or a religious organization, a church, for example, wanted to offer a course through Aurora College, I trust that that would not contravene the policy as he’s laid it out here. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I did notice that there was a fee attached to taking this course. I would just like the Minister’s assurance that if there are not enough participants who sign up and this is not a break even, that this government or the budget of Aurora College is not administratively or financially subsidizing this program in any way. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation. Mr. Speaker, as a government, we concern ourselves with the issue of affordable housing in our communities and this is particularly relevant when it comes to affordable housing for seniors. Mr. Speaker, over the course of the past several years, there has been affordable social housing units built in communities for seniors. Hay River had about a $1.8 million budget on the books for awhile and the government very kindly accommodated the Seniors’ Society in allowing them...