Kevin A. Menicoche

Mahsi Cho, Mr. Speaker. Today, I would like to speak about debt-free payment and the Business Credit Corporation. I think we all recognize the importance of small business to our economic growth. I think we would all agree that this government should take every opportunity to support our northern entrepreneurs; to advocate for the small businesses.

Having said that, Mr. Speaker, I have a situation in one of my communities that I represent where several small businesses have borrowed money and, through no fault of their own, their business ventures have failed. They did have loans with the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will reserve my comments for later. Thank you.

---Laughter

Thank you very much. I can appreciate also some of the local resource problems with regard to aboriginal languages and culture. Some of the things that lead me to think that it can be improved more efficiently is if we use the languages and culture more and it’s more supported by our government and as a result by our education department. For instance, it was brought to my attention the Jewish people in Ontario are all really strongly knowledgeable in their languages and in their culture. I was wondering how an almost dead culture continues to be fluent in their language and their culture. It...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I’m just trying to ascertain from the Minister whether the priorities that we establish here as the Government of the Northwest Territories, does that become the priorities of the regional divisional education boards?

That is fine. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. With reference to the opening remarks from the Minister, he talks about the $371,000 increase to salaries and benefits, yet towards the end of his opening remarks he talks about reduction of seven staff positions. I have trouble understanding the large reduction of seven staff and yet we can still have an increase to salaries and benefits. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Will this figure be used for the next four years annually, $14 million taxation revenues and school revenues? I am just wondering if we will be using that figure for the next four years.

Thank you very much for that explanation. I take it it’s other transfers or other grants that other departments receive that don’t actually show up in the Department of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (English not provided)

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the social workers who have been working in my riding of Nahendeh. I know that they're working very hard. Just on behalf of myself and the people I represent, I would just like to say thank you very much for the work that they're doing. Mahsi cho.

---Applause

Thank you. I would just like to say that in my mind, Mr. Chair, it just doesn’t seem right that that reduction of seven staff members would still lead to an increase of our compensation and benefits. For the question involved here, maybe the Minister can further clarify what he meant that even though we have reduced staff we are still paying more in compensation and benefits.