Kevin A. Menicoche

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I rise once again to advocate for the new stand-alone school for the community of Trout Lake. Currently, the department is assessing the facilities and even leaning towards renovations. This is not acceptable to the community.

I’m pleased that during the Nahendeh tour in December of 2014, our Premier and the Minister of Transportation were able to see that one room schoolhouse in the current community centre. A little partition was put up last year, but I’m sure that the Ministers will concur that this is still like the one room schoolhouses that some of our parents went...

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. In the winter semester of 2014, the Thomas Simpson Secondary School became the first in the Northwest Territories to have its high school students access to the Martin Aboriginal Youth Entrepreneurship Program and still is the only school in the NWT to offer this program.

A big and special commendation and thanks to Enbridge Pipelines Inc. and the Department of Education for being the primary sponsors with the Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative. This foundation is created by none other than our former Prime Minister of Canada, Paul Martin himself.

Since the program...

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I just want to say that in our final budget for 2015-16 I’m glad that the Minister and the finance staff were able to maintain our targets and not have a deficit budget this fiscal year. But they do correctly point out that as we try to take advantage of federal programming, we are reaching our borrowing limit, so those are challenges there. When it comes to deficits and borrowing, I know that the outlook of government is a little bit different than a business. However, it’s still debt. But at the same time, I believe that for the benefit of the communities...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mahsi.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you very much. I was just trying to speak on a general basis, but I would be glad to let the Minister know about this other specific case. In general, I think the policy that I saw says that after 60 days that they have to pay a fee and that’s the issue I’m getting at, is that constituents in small, remote communities cannot always travel for the birth of their child. So why do we have to charge them an extra $30 to get their name on the certificate? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Recently there was an incident from Fort Liard, well not so much of an incident but more of a miracle, she had a child in our Stanton Territorial Hospital. Unlike many women from the small and remote communities, she was able to come here and wait at our facilities for the birth of her child, but the father was not able to be with her. When that happens, at the time of the birth she’s given the required forms for registration to fill out and the father was not available at this time, which is...

I shared with them an outlook of the GNWT economy and my shared personal experience of being involved in the business world. It was great to have a discussion with these young adults, aged 14 to 17, about their ideas for starting their own businesses and discussing the economy of the GNWT and Canada as a whole.

In closing, congratulations to the students, the Thomas Simpson School and teachers, and keep up the good work in getting our youth to see their potential and their place in this world. I would like to see this expanded to all our schools in the NWT so our youth can understand the...

I would like to take this time to recognize the Aurora College business admin class that’s in the gallery above me. A special welcome to Danita Allaire, she is a Fort Simpson constituent, as well as Sasha Hazenberg, a former resident of Fort Simpson. Also, welcome to the teacher and other students present with them. I hope you are enjoying question period as part of your introduction to a government course. Mahsi.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I guess I think part of the issue, too, is that I’m not too sure if it’s the department’s requirement that they fill out the registration while they’re in the hospital in Yellowknife, or can they wait five or six days when both parents can be together in their home community, especially if that’s the case. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Of course there are lots of other administrative changes that may have to occur, but in this case I’m saying that because the family, the father could not travel in this case and I’m making the case, as well, that it happens throughout the North, not only from my riding, that the father has to add his name at a later date for an extra $30 cost.

So I’d like to ask the Minister, what kind of rule or guideline is this that you have to add the biological parent at a later date for a $30 fee? Thank you.