Tom Beaulieu

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, committee would like to consider Committee Report 6-18(3), Report on the Review of the 2017 Report of the Auditor General on Climate Change in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have about a month and a half before the students start arriving from wherever they are going to school, coming back, looking for work. I would like to ask the Minister if he agrees to have his staff, human resources division, work with the other departments as soon as possible to start planning for the hiring of summer students. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to thank the Minister for that response. I would like to ask the Minister if the Minister would look at other subsidies. I know that we get around 600 applications for summer students. Hiring 350 is good and 400 is better, but there are other incentives around what I talked about; wage subsidies, what the Government of Alberta is doing. Would the Minister consider looking at something like wage subsidies for employers other than the GNWT who hire summer students?

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, too, would like to recognize Chief Eddie Sangris, Chief of YK Dene First Nations, and also I'd like to recognize Catherine Lafferty, Director of Operations at Dechinta University.

Marsi cho, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, committee would like to consider Tabled Document 140-18(3), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2018-2019. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I have talked to some small business owners here in the city mostly. I don't have a lot of small business owners in my riding. I talked to some of the people here where the majority of the summer students get employment. One of the things I mentioned in my Member's statement was tax credits. I was wondering if the Minister of Finance would look at some sort of tax credit for industry or other small business for hiring of summer students?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member's statement, I talked about the upcoming summer student program. I have questions for the Minister of Finance. I would like to ask the Minister of Finance a question on what happened last year. Last year, the Government of the Northwest Territories set a record for probably the most summer students ever hired in the GNWT. I would like to ask the Minister if he plans to exceed that number this year. Thank you.

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. [No English translation provided.]

Mr. Speaker, in recent years, this government has truly begun to prioritize summer students, whether by enhancing our summer student financial assistance or helping them find employment within the graduate internship or summer student employment programs. The success of the GNWT's efforts in this regard is demonstrated by our government consistently winning accolades as one of Canada's Top Employers, specifically as one of Canada's Top Employers for young people in Canada and a Best Diversity Employer.

Mr. Speaker, it is great that our...

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in approximately four and a half months, Canada will be lifting a 95-year prohibition on cannabis and will formally legalize the recreational use of cannabis nation-wide. This will truly be a monumental moment for both our country and for the world, because Canada will become only the second country in the world to legalize consumption and sale of recreational cannabis.

Overall, Mr. Speaker, I believe this move by the federal government is a smart one. Simply put, prohibition has not worked. I am glad that our country is finally ending the criminalization of...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, committee would like to consider Tabled Document 136-18(3): Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures) No. 4, 2017-2018.