Ronald Bonnetrouge

I now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Member for Frame Lake.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker, I think I've only asked two questions. Madam Speaker, I hear what the Minister is saying, I just don't understand why she's saying they have the required training. And I know that they don't have the required training to be able to perform basic servicing functions that they would have got from training in the Aurora College oil heat technician seminars that they have every spring. They have them for third year plumbers, plus they're open to housing maintainers, and they should be open to settlement maintainers to attend this training so they better understand what they...

Yes.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, within the mandate to increase employment in small communities, the GNWT states it will support small communities in developing skilled trades people. But, Madam Speaker, that is the best action this government can do to improve the lives of the residents in the small communities. Just for identifying and stating this objective, this government gets an A grade. Now let's do more in this area to get the A plus rating.

Madam Speaker, when I previously brought up a training program for all settlement maintainers in our small communities, I was met with...

Committee, there is a motion on the floor to report progress. The motion is in order and nondebatable. All those in favour? All those opposed? Motion is carried.

Carried

I will now rise and report progress. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. I hear the Minister, but I think the answers are coming from her staff or from within the department, because, you know, I'd really implore this Minister to seriously commit to providing the training that I've been requesting to all settlement maintainers up and down the valley, and many are in isolated communities where we don't have the specialists, and those are the people that are much needed in our communities that can help others too. And I really implore that she provides that training starting in the spring coming up, to settlement maintainers, to the heating...

Mahsi, Madam Speaker, and mahsi to the Minister for describing their functions. What is happening is that they don't have any training program for settlement maintainers as the housing maintainers had a program before. They did the carpentry, the plumbing, and all the basic electrical, plus you sat in front of a furnace and boiler system for about six weeks until you really understood and could wire the systems, because that's what I'm after, is that type of training. These are much needed in our small communities to add value to the positions. And like I said, we don't have any ticketed...

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I'm very passionate about training people in the small communities regarding the heating systems as we don't have trades people within the communities, and most times they're quite a distance away. My Member's statement alluded to training for all small communities’ settlement maintainers, especially in the area of maintaining and performing basic servicing on furnaces and boilers. These will still be performed under the direction of a journeyman heating technician or operating engineer who could be stationed in the larger centre.

Can the Minister commit to...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize a couple of students from Fort Providence Deh Gah School; they're acting as pages today Tianna Head and Shyanne Weninger. They're in the building somewhere. I'd like to welcome them and hope they enjoy their time here in Yellowknife. It's wonderful to see them both here in the Legislative Assembly building. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and mahsi to the Minister for that. It would have been interesting to ask for financial statements as to the surpluses that go back to headquarters because it may show a lack of a preventative maintenance program.

Mr. Speaker, I'm certain headquarters can determine if and when a preventative maintenance program is not being adhered to. Is there a reporting mechanism that is available to headquarters to determine if a preventative maintenance program is being followed at the LHO levels? Mahsi.