Kevin A. Menicoche

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday at noon we historically marked the first public review of the Northwest Territories bills related to the devolution of responsibility of lands and resources from Canada to our government. More history will be made next week with the passing of third reading of these bills and others.

The Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning reviewed three bills: the Reindeer Act, the Archeological Sites Act and the Surface Rights Board Act. Like all devolution legislation, these bills have to mirror the existing federal legislation just as the GNWT will mirror the...

Thank you very much. There is outstanding support from the Yellowknife Members and I want the support from Cabinet as well.

As the MLA for Nahendeh I’m the MLA with the most small communities. Actually, four of my communities don’t have the nursing and policing services that this motion speaks about. Most particular, I’ve been up here time and time again trying to get those same services for the community of Wrigley.

In order to get full Cabinet support I’m going to move an amendment here, Mr. Speaker, that we remove the reference to add to the budget in the 2014-15 year because Cabinet...

I’m pleased to hear progress on the Dehcho and Akaitcho fronts there.

Just with respect to the bills, are there any significant restrictions on amending the devolution laws, and if so, what are they and what are these limits?

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Earlier in the day I mentioned in my Member’s statement about devolution and some of the legislation that this House will be passing. Mr. Premier committed to a public review of the devolution legislation starting soon after it’s passed or after April 1st.

Could he describe how he expects the process to unfold so that the public knows what to expect?

Thank you. I think he said no. Okay. Can he explain – that is such a significant $30 million adjustment to the 2013-14 budget – how we can be under?

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I know it’s a pretty significant budget at $30 million and I think the term mini-budget is usually termed when you have some such large expenditures. Of course, they are largely unforeseen. I can certainly concur with that.

I have a couple of questions. Firstly, are any of these from the supplementary appropriation list of $30 million, is any of that included in the base going forward into 2014-15 fiscal year at all?

Just one more quick thing. I know that Mr. Bromley’s intentions about getting qualified early childhood education workers is well intended, but at the same time it is a need in the small communities, and once again, the wording is just so bad it’s restrictive to the small communities in getting them started. I cannot support the amendment to the amendment.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honorable Member for Sahtu, that Motion 13-17(5) be amended by deleting the words “before the program is implemented” from the first paragraph of the resolution portion of the motion. Mahsi.

Thank you very much. I’m pleased to hear the Minister say those words. The time for building the large schools are over. We’ve spent hundreds of millions of dollars in all our regional centres and I believe it’s time to start concentrating on our small communities, get those done. The costs are not in the hundreds of millions. It will probably be – I can’t even estimate – probably about $2 million or $3 million for a school in a small community.

I’d like to ask the Minister, can he start the initial planning, get some Class D estimates, and share it with myself and my colleagues that need new...

Thank you very much. During the Minister’s visit to Trout Lake we showed him how small the school was, we showed him it’s full to capacity and now we have junior kindergarten, which is a new additional factor that has to be addressed. Are there enough resources to do an adequate planning study in the community of Trout Lake and its needs? Thank you.