Kevin O'Reilly

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I will help the Minister out here a little bit. How I can help him is that there is a map of the Grays Bay project and the road corridor on our side in my latest constituency newsletter. The Grays Bay Port and Road Project would actually go through the Bathurst caribou calving grounds, what is left of them. Our government has had this position where we have traditionally opposed any development in calving grounds, so is it a position of our government now that we would oppose this corridor that goes through the calving grounds of the Bathurst caribou herd? Mahsi, Mr...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I think I heard the Minister say tomorrow; is that correct? Okay, great.

My next question is I believe it's in the business plan that there's some mention of an accountability framework being developed for Aurora College. Can the Minister or his staff tell me a little bit more about what that accountability framework is all about? Thank you.

I'm glad to hear that. Is the Minister aware whether this corridor, that has already been planned by his department, actually goes through any critical habitat for the Bathurst caribou herd?

Thanks, Mr. Chair. So just to be very clear, then, the actual reduction in the contributions is $1.8 million, or whatever it is, found on page 45 of the main estimates; is that correct? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Again, I would like to thank the Minister for his answer. I did give him a head's up on what these questions would be. It looks like this progress and implementation is not happening nearly as quickly as it should be. I am just wondering: what is the problem here? Is it funding, political will? Can the Minister please explain the lack of publicly available information, real progress on finishing these agreements and fully implementing them? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the commitment, then, by the Minister that he would bring forward a supplementary appropriation if Student Financial Assistance gets maxed out. I hope we don't have to go there, but I think I have got a firm commitment from the Minister to do that. Thank you, Mr. Chair. That is it.

Thank you to the Minister for his response. It looks like we have at least one of the three in active negotiations. That is helpful information. I wish the Minister could put that sort of detail on the departmental website.

Have water quality objectives and learning plans been started under any of the existing agreements with Alberta and British Columbia?

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I am looking at the line for Student Financial Assistance on page 40. It actually shows a decrease between 201617 and 201718. Even when I look at the revised estimates, there is a decrease. Can someone from the department explain what is going on here, why we are decreasing our funding for Student Financial Assistance? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Merci, Monsieur le President. If we finish early enough today, I will be playing hockey tonight; but more seriously, Mr. Speaker, GNWT has negotiated a number of transboundary water agreements with the following jurisdictions:

Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Yukon, and Canada for the Mackenzie River Basin Master Agreement in 1997;

the Yukon in 2002;

Alberta in 2015; and

British Columbia in 2015.

These are very important agreements for the health of our aquatic life and communities on our shared watersheds, which includes the vast majority of our population. These arrangements also help...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Thanks to the Minister for his explanation. Can he just provide a little bit more detail about what is being cut in public library services? Thank you, Mr. Chair.