Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to speak on Education Week and to recognize the hard work of the Dehcho Divisional Board, the principals, teachers, assistants and all the hardworking staff that make education a success in our region and small communities.

Over the years during my tenure as MLA for Nahendeh, I’ve travelled to our communities and seen the teachers in our schools and admired the attention and care they give our students and the involvement they have in the communities. It really does take a special calibre of teacher to venture north and live in our small and remote...

Just something to be aware of and hopefully the department tracks that. Yes, there is higher employment but that means there is low employment, meaning it will be harder for people to get jobs. I don’t see the correlation here at all. I don’t know if they can track it and maybe a year from now raise it, should it impact us negatively having more people on income support as opposed to unemployment insurance, Mr. Chair. Thanks.

I certainly look forward to the update from the Minister, because the library is still called a resource centre. It’s kind of a shame when our children can go to the library and they cannot really look at books and sign out books. They can do it on-line, but it’s kind of cumbersome for the younger children to do that. It will be a good thing once we can establish a full library in Fort Simpson.

One of the other suggestions that I did make several years ago was to classify it as a regional library and put it in legislation. It then becomes a funded facility, but that’s one of the ways that we...

Thank you very much. When it comes to e-learning, I did visit the Sunchild e-learning program. A great initiative. I tried to get that same type of programming not only for youth but young adults in Fort Liard, but at that time there was a bandwidth issue, so we weren’t able to pursue it any further. I know there are still some issues in the smaller communities with bandwidth and that once those are addressed we can certainly move forward with the e-learning program on a small scale.

I’m certainly supportive of e-learning. I’ve seen the value of it. Like I said, I visited the Sunchild Reserve...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize my number one constituent, my partner, Lucyanne Kendo, and my step-daughter, Brittany Jewel. Welcome to the gallery and to the proceedings. It’s great to see you here. Mahsi.

Mr. Chair, under corporate management, of course they have the responsibility of finance and capital planning. I know that this is our operation and maintenance budget, but schools in our small communities ought to be a priority. I’m pleased that we finished building the big schools in the big communities. I really feel that it’s time to turn our attention while we can before there’s another issue in a larger community. Let’s try to get some of these older schools in the smaller communities built and those that don’t have any, like I’ve been making a case for Trout Lake. It is more of a...

Mr. Chair, that is a good explanation for that. Liquor Commission agency expenses are up by $1 million over the last couple of years, maybe could we get an explanation for that?

I thank the Minister. I think it might be the Standing Committee on Government Operations that takes the lead over finances. Perhaps at that time we can invite as many Members as we can to that briefing. I’m glad for that commitment because this is almost becoming a department that we almost need a deputy minister here for. It has taken on a life of its own. I have checked with my colleagues to try to find out more, so here’s a good opportunity while we’re doing the budget. I’m glad for the commitment and I’ll be interested to see where government wants to go with this department. It continues...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Sometimes we create creatures in our government that takes on a life of its own. I share the concerns of my colleagues and feel that the program review office has created a life of its own. I really want to sit down with the Minister and do what the motion calls for. Let’s review this. Let’s review the intention of this program review office and get back to the original intention, which was to try to find efficiencies and better ways of doing things in government. That’s all the motion calls for, so I will be supporting it. Thank you.

I look forward to the information from the Minister. Does our government fund activities or have any resources that can assist with MADD Canada or its student counterpart, SADD Canada, or any of our groups here in the Northwest Territories?