Sandy Lee

They do not have the answers that the people are entitled to know. Now let me ask the Minister…Now I just forgot a very good question that I had for the Minister. I was just too excited about having you cornered. Madam Speaker, would the Minister of Education please direct his senior officials to find out this information as soon as possible and present exactly what the educational needs are? Because I’m telling you the Minister will find that there are a lot of special needs that he’s not aware of. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. That very mundane, feel good, general statement that the Minister is making is showing just more clearly than ever before how little he knows about the needs of these youth in the centre. These are not people who can benefit from the mainstream programming that we have. They are in need of very, very specialized services, which if the Minister would take time talking to them would tell him that it is in jeopardy of being dismantled. So would the Minister direct his senior officials to talk to the educators and those who provide services to these people, talk to...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment and it has again to do with the transfer of the TTC. Madam Speaker, as I have already repeated many times today, the sense I am getting from the people out there, especially the professionals who have been involved in delivering services and addressing the needs of the children who are being treated in this facility, I think that the people will be appalled that the people who do this have never been consulted. In fact, I just learned today that the most senior education official...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I thought we weren’t allowed to talk about a document that’s not before this House. Considering that, I’d like to still ask the Minister, I need to know simple answers about what the Minister has done to find out exactly what the needs are of the services that they are getting in Yellowknife. And you know what? If I’m convinced, if I’m provided with the information that these are the kinds of conditions and training that they need and this is the kind of support system they have and we have, as a government, made a decision, a public policy decision...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I would like to readdress my questions to the Minister of Health and Social Services with regard to the proposed transfer. Madam Speaker, I must say I’m not impressed with the Minister somehow implying that the debate here is about Yellowknife versus Hay River and that any time we are questioning anything about this move that somehow…I don’t think the competition is that. Madam Speaker, I believe that the Cabinet, every Member of government sitting across from us, has a duty to the children if they don’t have a duty to the Members here or the employees...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Short supplementary. I would like to think that when Cabinet Ministers look at transferring a program like this they would work with more information than just transfer this. I like to think that the Education Minister would have brought to the table what it would mean to the kids there, because obviously the Cabinet and the government are the caretakers. I would like to know what information, if any, has he got thus far about what kind of education program these students will be needing. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, my questions today will be to the Cabinet and the government with regard to the proposed transfer of TTC to outside of Yellowknife. Madam Speaker, my questions are to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. We, the Yellowknife Members, have been learning a lot about what this program is about and one of the new things we have learned is that the local educational system has a very intimate and intense involvement with the children who are housed there. Although they have their own classroom there, it is being administered by the Catholic...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I’m afraid the Minister keeps displaying his lack of information and knowledge about this issue. I have to tell you that I’m told that there are at least two teachers employed with YK No. 2 who are involved with the centre, who directly are involved in teaching these kids. There are other people involved in this program. They are placed in all seven schools in the city. There are other people involved in educating these kids. So how can he just say, or is that proper budgeting process to say we’re going to do this? I don’t know what the details are, but...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I am a former graduate of Sir John Franklin High School, but when I went to school there we didn't have such an extensive International Exchange Program. I think it is a fantastic program. It adds so much global sophistication and openness to the school and I am so pleased to have them attending our Assembly today. It is especially my pleasure to recognize someone from Austria, a beautiful country known for classical music, and I hope I say her name okay; Pia Zischka. Welcome. Thank you.

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Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, obviously my questions are to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, and I’m following up on the question and answers we had previously. I have to say obviously the Minister was not listening to some of the questions that I have been posing, because I don’t think at any time did I ever claim to be an expert on this issue. In fact, Madam Speaker, I think that’s the beauty of our office in that it is our privilege to be generalists. It is our duty also to ask the experts for information in making decisions. I’m asking the Minister to have...