Range Lake

Statements in Debates

Debates of , (day 5)

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Going by the very defensive answer of the Minister, I know I have the Cabinet cornered and they do not have answers.

Debates of , (day 5)

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Without having asked any of those questions or gotten information on that or not having had these senior officials talking to those people who are involved in education, how could the Minister have any kind of confidence or any kind of expectation? When was he going to communicate this confidence in education to those who are going to be responsible for taking care of these children? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Debates of , (day 5)

Thank you, Madam Speaker. With all due respect, I believe the gentleman he’s talking about is a person in charge of this program who resides in Edmonton, who knows that this is a program that their company is administering, but he’s not one of the people who are delivering programs to these kids, whether in school, whether in audio therapy, in speech therapy, whatever medical and social services they use. I’d like to know, yes or no, has the Minister or his department talked to any of these experts and any of these professionals who constantly work with these youth to incorporate them into...

Debates of , (day 5)

Thank you, Madam Speaker. My apologies for repeating what seemed like the same question and perhaps lacking originality, but sometimes there is a need for that in this House and you have demonstrated that very well in the last session when we were talking about issues that were pertaining to other matters.

I’d like to ask the Minister, with all due respect, the Minister is not the expert on programming and neither is anybody around this table. I’d like to know, and I’d like to be assured, and I think I have the right to know on behalf of those children who are going to be affected that those...

Debates of , (day 5)

Thank you, Madam Speaker. It is obvious that the Minister doesn't know the full information about this, because we are not dealing with special needs children who need inclusive programs here. We are talking about children who are far beyond the needs of inclusive schooling. Does the Minister know that these students, eight of them, cannot be absorbed into one school? The benefit of having them in Yellowknife is that they can be chosen to go to any of the seven schools. There is no way one school could absorb all of these students, because they have such high needs. Does the Minister of...

Debates of , (day 5)

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I think the troubling aspect of the debate in this House about this issue is that the focus is so much on the money and the jobs being created, which is not a small thing. After all, we make decisions about how to spend money and such. Today, I think I was trying to indicate in my Member’s statement that we need to focus on the children that are being treated there because of very, very severe issues that they need to be helped with.

These educators are not just an agent that gets government money and just runs this program. These educators are also the experts...

Debates of , (day 5)

Thank you, Madam Speaker. It’s actually appalling that the Cabinet throws a bomb into this institution. In two years we’re moving this and that’s that, and we’re trying to get information. If anybody hasn’t gotten the point, my point is that all these questions we are asking and the answers to them are the most minimum information that the Cabinet should have had in making this decision. I think reasonable person would agree with that. I’d like to ask the Minister once again, not going by if and when and I’m confident and all that hullabaloo, could the Minister just ask his senior...

Debates of , (day 5)

With the indulgence of the House, may I just recognize that the exchange student in my riding is staying with Linda and Abe Theil and I would like to thank them. Thank you.

---Applause

Debates of , (day 5)

Thank you, Madam Speaker. How can the Minister say that when he does not know what the requirements are, or does he? Yes or no.

Debates of , (day 5)

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, in case it hasn’t been made absolutely clear by now, I’d like to state categorically once again that the proposed move of the Territorial Treatment Centre to anywhere out of Yellowknife is a very poorly planned and, as one of my Newfoundland friends will say, a foolish idea that must be stopped in its tracks today, Madam Speaker. It should be stopped at least until the Minister and the Cabinet gives us clear answers to some real basic and important questions that we are entitled. We being not only the MLAs of this House or even the staff at the...