Robert Bouchard

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As this government has committed to growing the population of the Northwest Territories over the next few years, one of the areas that I talked about in the past is our link between the students who are going out to schools and the Department of HR. We have a disconnect there. I think that we should be able to communicate with those students and link them to jobs before they’ve even completed their education.

Hay River has a great couple of students right now. Mr. Lance Crook is finishing up his education, a doctorate, and he’s in Hay River doing some training. We also...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Obviously, my next question is for Public Works and Services spending another $1.5 million on more office space in Yellowknife. Obviously, this is a concern. I know we just built a whole building. I know we have millions and millions of dollars out there in rental space in Yellowknife, and obviously, it’s been key to me to do some decentralization and promote decentralization and now we’re spending another $1.5 million to do some more office upgrades.

Can the Minister just give me an explanation of this $1.5 million being spent, and how often do we spend another $1.5...

Another program I know they’ve been working on is the signage in the whole area of the Legislative Assembly, the tourist booth, the museum and stuff like that.

Can we just get an update? Do we have anything coming up in the upcoming budget on that or is it just all this year’s expenditure? I’m looking forward to seeing some of that completion.

I understand the proposal and the concept of building a new building. I guess no cost and no risk sounds a little scary to me in the fact that obviously the P3, there’s got to be something in it for the private part of the equation, and at no cost. Somewhere along the line we’re paying extra somewhere to retrofit that building or we’re paying in a long period of time for extras. Somehow that retrofit to the current facility, once we build the new one, is being paid for somewhere down the line. The GNWT has got to be on the hook somewhere. At no cost, I can’t believe that would be true.

Another...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Kam Lake, that Bill 69, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, No. 2, to be read for the first time.

Sounds great, Mr. Speaker. Has the department made those contacts with HR? Have we started to make the links of linking those students with potential positions in the future, linking up what the students are currently taking with what we have in our inventory of positions in the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As a follow-up to my Member’s statement, I will have questions to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. As I indicated, and the Minister has indicated in the past that they are working to link with HR, has the Minister had any success in linking and contacting students with jobs that we potentially have in the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, committee. We’ll call committee back to order. We’re going on to Department of Public Works and Services. I’ll ask the Minister responsible, Tom Beaulieu, do you have witnesses to bring into the House?

Thank you, Mr. Guy and Ms. Gault. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses. Thank you, Minister Beaulieu.

Alright, committee, next on the order is Department of Finance. I’ll ask Mr. Miltenberger if he has any witnesses to bring into the Chamber.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Excuse me. Just in the interest of getting the proper answer, we’ll take a 10-minute break until the support staff get here. Thank you very much. Sorry, Mr. Miltenberger.