Wendy Bisaro

Thanks, Madam Chair. I’d like to just comment a bit on this and on the timing of the public accounts that this report references. The completed public accounts were tabled on the 23rd of October of 2013 and the deadline for tabling of the public accounts is the 31st of December of 2013. So this was only the second year, I think, in quite some time that the public accounts had been tabled in advance of their deadline. So we were really pleased that the government was able to do that. In addition, we were able to get an embargoed copy of the interim public accounts and that’s the government...

The Minister’s response indicates either genuine concern or an attempt to douse the flames. I sincerely hope it is the former. I look forward to working with the Minister to enact some real and positive change for the children and families of the NWT who use the child and family services system. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that consideration of Tabled Document 51-17(5), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures) No. 4, 2012-2013, be now concluded and that Tabled Document 51-17(5) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thanks, Mr. Chairman. I just have a couple of brief comments. This is the completion of fiscal year 2012-2013. We are now almost to the end of year 2014-15 and I appreciate that there are adjustments that have to be made at the end of any fiscal year, accounting bits and pieces have to be moved around and I can appreciate that, but I had great difficulty when I first became aware of these expenditures, understanding why it has taken almost two years for us to get this information and for these expenditures to come to light and to require us to approve them as an appropriation. I don’t have a...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that consideration of Tabled Document 44-17(5), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 4, 2013-2014, be now concluded and that Tabled Document 44-17(5) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill.

Thank you, Madam Chair. We would like to deal with Tabled Document 44-17(5), Tabled Document 45-17(5), Tabled Document 51-17(5), Tabled Document 52-17(5) and, if we have time, Bill 5. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can’t support the amendment. The whole intent of this motion is to make sure that the spaces, the programs for our junior kindergarten, four-year-old aged children, to make sure that it’s a quality program, and in order to make sure it’s a quality program we need to have early childhood educators who are running the program. We need to have people who are trained in early childhood education techniques. We need to have people who will ensure that the quality of the program is of a high quality. There’s not much point in running a Junior Kindergarten Program if we’re...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to report to the Assembly that the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning has completed its review of Bill 1, Reindeer Act; Bill 2, Archeological Sites Act; and Bill 3, Surface Rights Board Act.

That’s good. Thanks very much. I guess, not knowing the ATV Act, maybe the Minister can advise whether or not the ATV Act needs changes similar to what we’ve done for the Motor Vehicles Act to make sure that licensing and driver qualifications are where they should be for ATVs and quads.

I appreciate that some things have happened. I appreciate that it was difficult to put all 70-plus recommendations from the 16th Assembly report in place all at once, but it’s awful slow. I’m particularly concerned, Mr. Speaker, about the gap in services for 16 to 18-year-olds. I mentioned that in my statement. That is something which certainly could have been acted on from the time in October 2010 when that report was tabled in the Assembly until now. There could have been amendments to the act that were done. I appreciate the Minister says we are now – the royal “we” – his department is...