Julie Green

No, thank you.

Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition dealing with the matter of the 2016 Government of the Northwest Territories Budget. Mr. Speaker, this petition contains 330 signatures of Northwest Territories residents and two signatures of residents from southern Canada. Mr. Speaker, the petitioners request the following:

That the Government of the Northwest Territories recognize the following criteria when implementing reductions in the 2016 budget:

First, government workers and their families need to be prioritized;

Second, government jobs must be protected;

Third...

Thank you to the Minister for that. I didn't say that the roads were without benefits of their own, but rather what I'm looking for is this business case and so I don't feel like I have that yet. When the Finance Minister considers how funds should be allocated for roads rather than housing, how does Finance determine the greater advantage of one over the other?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm asking my questions of the Minister of Finance because the policy of favouring road infrastructure over social infrastructure is a matter of financial and political philosophy. Permit applications have been filed for a possible construction of an all-season road to Whati. Given the size of this project, I can only hope the detailed cost-benefit analysis has been created to quantify benefits and returns. Has a cost-benefit analysis been completed and if so, will the Minister table this document for all Members and the public to evaluate? Thank you, Mr...

That's my mother. I have no further comments, thanks.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Minister just said they could support it in other ways. I'm wondering what those look like.

Thank you to the Minister for that answer. One of the things that seems to be a gap in this labour market forecast is that it looks primarily at the non-renewable resource sector jobs rather than some of those which might be part of diversification. I am wondering why the report did not look at diversification, for example filmmaking, traditional economies, agriculture, manufacturing, and so on, rather than concentrating on the declining sector of our economy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to just begin by saying that I misspoke during my statement by saying that there were 20,000 non-resident workers. In fact, the right number is 2,000. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. The Labour Market Forecast and Needs Assessment provides some valuable insights into the nature of the job market to come, but it is weak on the topic of how new workers will be attracted to the territory. The resident work force is forecasted to both age and shrink, so much so, the report says, that the conditions may “limit...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Minister for his answer. The fact remains that this forecast has gaps when it comes to renewable industry research or employment opportunities. I am wondering if there is a plan to do the same kind of research on them as has been done with the non-renewable resource sector. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.