Sandy Lee

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I wonder if the Minister could make a commitment to just look into that. I guess the schools will just have to raise the money in other ways and do more fundraising than they have done in the past. I think the money was usually used for school activities. If the Minister could make a commitment to get back to us with the figures, I would appreciate that. Thank you.

I am done with that item. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I should just state that I was right next to Mr. Roland for the last four years arguing for fiscal prudence and I’m behind him all the way. It’s just that when we have to deal with raising taxes and giving a little bit of a million dollar break on a $50 million windfall, I think we have to reconsider that.

Mr. Speaker, my next question is on the $3.5 billion contaminated sites budget and to hear that 65 percent or so will be coming to the Territories. Could the Minister advise this House as to any further information as to how that money will be spent? What do we have to...

Okay. Thank you. My question has to do with the fees that the schools were charging to students which the Minister has, I believe, sent a directive asking the school boards not to levy those fees to aboriginal students. I understand the position of the aboriginal governments that this is a treaty right for the students to go to school and they shouldn’t be asked to pay, and that’s fine. I’m just wondering about the repercussion that may be in the school system that might have relied on this as extra funding for the school. I’m interested in knowing what the financial impact of that might be...

Thank you very much. May I just get some indication as to what sort of services are purchased under contract services for $631,000, as well as $1.6 million for computers seems high. Is there something unique about the programs that this division uses? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m trying to find a way to simplify these figures so the people who are listening to us can understand it better. Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that this $50 million is money, call it a break or the federal government not asking us for something that they were going to ask us for, but in the end it’s going to have a positive impact on our deficit situation. My understanding is that while we were expecting a $47 million deficit for this fiscal year budget, with this new $50 million break, whether it’s on paper or real money, we’re not going to have to have that...

Those are my questions for now, thank you.

Thank you. Yes, that will take us to some length here, but also we are not disinterested in the other areas of other expenses either, such as material and supplies, contract services and such, where in some departments it was in the millions of dollars. Could the Minister help us out with that, please? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I do understand that these monies that were announced by the federal government on economic development, oil and gas and many other issues are not coming directly to the GNWT, but they are monies that will come to the North. I do believe it is incumbent on this legislature and the Cabinet to jump on every penny coming to the North and find the leakages so that we maximize our benefit.

There were lots of other areas, such as student financial support, where we know our GNWT program is under great strain. Any additional assistance...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Of that increase that is attributable to enrolment increases, could the Minister indicate as to the regional trend by the enrolment increase in major centres? Is it all over the Territories or is there something distinctive about age groups? Thank you.