Julie Green

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, June 9, 2016, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River South, that the Speaker be authorized to set such sitting days and hours as the Speaker, after consultation, deems fit to assist with the business before the House. Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I will be seeking unanimous consent to deal with this motion today. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister for that answer. What I'm wondering in particular with Nutrition North, which is a federal program, is whether the territorial government is taking a role in trying to make Nutrition North a more useful program? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the Minister for that response. I just want to confirm with him that in fact there is a commitment to follow through with the increases scheduled earlier to the food allowance under income assistance.

Thank you colleagues. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The territorial government has a role to play in lobbying the federal government to expand and improve the Nutrition North Canada Subsidy. I will have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Given that answer, Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the Minister could tell us how the government will make a decision about whether to invest in the road to Whati? Thank you.

Yes, Mr. Chair. I am a little confused because on page 57, I thought we were going to authorize the spending on this page, and then 58 and 59 explains some of the detail there. Do I have that right?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would like to, first of all, congratulate everyone who was part of the Dechinta University experience this time around. I would like to recognize and introduce my partner Janice McKenna. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I appreciate that the multi-year funding would be a benefit. I'm just wondering about the administrative burden, like if some of these programs listed here were amalgamated where they share a common focus, whether this would in fact reduce the departmental overhead and put more money into the frontline services. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I now have the economic evaluation of the all-weather road to Whati. I would like to share the findings of this report completed by Nichols Applied Management of Edmonton in March 2015. To begin with, the request for construction of this road came from Fortune Minerals, a company whose stock trades for pennies a share. The company is making the road a condition of developing its gold, cobalt, bismuth, and copper project 50 kilometres north of Whati. The road would connect Highway No. 3 to Whati. Estimated costs: $152 million. The road is a gamble, Mr. Speaker...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just as I've been listening to the answers the Minister's been giving and looking at this page, I wonder if one early childhood provider of services was looking for government money, it seems like there would be a number of programs that they would be eligible for at any given time. I know the Minister earlier today said that there was some simplification going on, but I wonder if is a scope for more combinations of programs that would reduce the administrative burden of them? Thank you, Mr. Chair.