Julie Green

Mr. Chair, I am not sure about how the procedure would work here. I wonder if we could amend the amendment to refer this motion back to the Rules and Procedures Committee to take on the task of defining exceptional circumstances and to bring that recommendation back after that work is considered. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition dealing with the matter of funding for junior kindergarten and other options for families.

Mr. Speaker, the petition contains 184 electronic signatures of Northwest Territories residents and, Mr. Speaker, the petitioners request that the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment provide flexible, real choices for parents of four-year-olds by ensuring that all options for children are properly funded and that the money follows the child in whatever option is chosen. The petitioners also ask the Minister to fully fund junior...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to return to item number 5 on the order paper. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I wonder if the Minister can think of a remedy to the problem posed to the people who pre-sell tourism packages, where the fees have been made now and so the increased airport fees cannot be added on. Is there a solution he can propose that would allay the concerns that tourism businesses have about having to bridge the gap between their pre-paid and their upcoming business? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you for that answer. That's the calculation for residents. What's the calculation for the increased cost of doing business for businesses? Did you do one of those? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, at this point, a number of issues have already been investigated, so I will try to focus on those which, I think, haven't had as much attention. I guess I want to start with the fact that use of the airport is non-optional for a big chunk of the Northwest Territories, because they have no other way to get to their communities on an everyday basis, or to get freight to their communities, or to have a medevac from their communities, or to go on medical travel from their communities. A question I will ask the Minister, at the appropriate time, is: how much of the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the importance of giving the terms of reference to government operations proactively is that the value of all the contracts left by the government is very substantial. It is a significant piece of business. I understand that you need to get on with the business of governing, and we want you to get on with the business of governing, but I think on an issue this size, it would have been useful for the committee to have contributed its oversight to this issue. I say that, as somebody who is not a member of that committee, that I know that they do good work...

Thank you to the Minister for that response. I wonder if the Minister can commit to providing the draft terms of reference or, in fact, the final terms of reference for this review to the government operations committee before the close of this session.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi, colleagues. Our task is to offer the women we know the support, mentorship, and encouragement to turn the dream of equality into reality. Let's celebrate International Women's Day with our determination to make that happen. Mahsi.

That is good news. So just to recap this: as long as it has been pre-sold prior to the effective date, then the initial price is the price. Is that correct? Thank you