Robert Bouchard

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just have a few statements concerning the biggest project on this budget, which is the purchase of the 802 air tanker fleet replacement. I guess coming into this Assembly, I know they talked about these replacements for a while, so it’s kind of a process of us new MLAs starting and looking into the process of replacing these units. It’s replacing an older fleet that I think we got for minimal dollars. I guess the high cost associated to the purchase of these newer planes, and I know the department’s been looking at this for years because I know the department did some...

Thank you, Mr. Campbell. Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I understand that Cabinet is proud of this program and I understand that Junior Kindergarten is going to be a good thing for some of the small communities that don’t have anything. The question that I have is, it’s being rolled out now, it’s being implemented. Some of these organizations, some of these small communities already know those concerns.

Will the Premier commit to doing some sort of general meeting on Junior Kindergarten with all those people that are being affected, a Junior Kindergarten charrette let’s call it, will the Premier commit to that?

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister Miltenberger.

I’m just wondering about the concern, and I see the concern is not Junior Kindergarten and the fact of whether it’s needed or not.

How do we deal with this consensus when we’re talking about how it’s being rolled out? The concern is from different communities, from different leaders throughout the Territories saying that this program is not being rolled out properly when there’s other organizations and other programs, such as the Head Start program, that are being overrun by this Junior Kindergarten program. How do we deal with that in consensus government?

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Mr. Mawdsley.

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order. I’ll go to the Minister of Health. Do you have any witnesses to bring into the Chamber?

Thanks, Mr. Speaker. With that opportunity in Alberta, has the department looked into and discussed with the Alberta fisheries the opportunity that we could exchange some information, exchange opportunities, whether it’s training or maybe encouraging some people to come up here to maybe fulfill some of the quota to market NWT fish? Thank you.

Also in my statement I talked about training and convincing people to go back into this industry.

What can the Minister indicate to me that they have done as far as business opportunities and business training that would encourage people to get back into the industry? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a constituent, Mr. Kevin Wallington. As I spoke of small businesses, he is a small business operator, Polar Eggs. I’d also like to acknowledge a couple of other people in the gallery, Mr. Garth Eggenberger, a good friend, also a business owner; and former Hay River resident Nicole Latour. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.