Robert Bouchard

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Thank you, Pages, for all the hard work. If committee is agreed, we will go into detail on the Department of Health.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister Abernethy.

Thanks, Mr. Abernethy. Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thought I’d rise and make a couple comments quickly. My colleagues all had good points and I thank the mover and seconder for this motion.

At this time I feel it’s difficult in the fact that we are making a motion to talk about C-15, a federal motion, which, I mean, we have no jurisdiction on. The other thing is that, as Members have indicated, our government, the McLeod government, has been working with Aboriginal groups strongly. Devolution has been moving forward. Devolution is one of those things that’s going to give us control over the things in the Northwest...

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Ms. Mathison.

Thank you. Mr. Dolynny.

Again, I am not against junior kindergarten. I am just wondering that this money and the fact that we have these hardworking teachers and people in our public education system that are trying to do the work but they keep getting downloaded that more and more things have to be done with less money, but they’re strung out already.

When are we actually going to increase the budgets and figure out the formulas to these DEAs?

Mr. Hawkins, can I just get clarification what page you are referring to?

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions will be for the Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment. I’d like to continue on with students, but I guess I’m a little annoyed with his statements today in the House about the junior kindergarten being funded by the pupil-teacher ratio. I guess my first question is where this 16 to 1 pupil-teacher ratio came from, because that’s not what I’m hearing in the community. The community wants more teachers, more assistants. Where does this number come from?