Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t often get to do this, but as I said yesterday, I want to congratulate the Premier on the content of his statement on Junior Kindergarten yesterday.

As you will have guessed from the applause, we found it gratifying to know that the executive does actually listen to Members periodically, does actually listen to us periodically when we give voice to our constituents’ concerns, and they took action to do the right thing.

But, as pointed out by Mr. Dolynny yesterday, there is still the issue of funding for the Junior Kindergarten program. Apparently there will be no...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just want to give a brief explanation for the action that I’m about to take. I, as well, have listened to both sides of this argument and I am part of the committee that discussed this at great length. I am satisfied with the failsafes, I guess, that have been expressed by the government, and I do not feel the fear, I guess, that my colleagues do passing this bill without the word “vacant” in there. However, that said, I don’t feel that I can vote against my colleagues, so I will be abstaining.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thanks to the legislative counsel for the clarification. I guess with regard to the consultation, I would advise the department and the Minister that anytime legislation that involves employees, no matter who they are, is being contemplated, that there ought to be consultation with them on the changes that are intended to be made to an act.

I’m not quite sure what the Minister means by the fact that the NWTTA had access to the consultative process. It’s one thing for a submission to come in when the bill is at committee stage. It’s quite another thing for a submission to...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have a couple of comments. One of the things that came to light when we were discussing the bill, we received some comments from one of the stakeholders who was concerned about consultation. I don’t believe that there was enough consultation done on this bill, if there was any consultation done at all. One of the questions I have for the Minister is to advise us what consultation was done in the development of the amendments to Bill 30.

I would like to confirm in the definition of layoff, it’s being deleted, and I’d like to confirm, I believe the Minister advised us...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am still trying to find out how JK is being funded, if it’s the budget reductions that are funding it.

I would like to ask the Minister, if we are going to have reductions to education authority budgets in ‘15-16, what will that money be used for? Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister. So, I guess, it is an average across the territory. We’re going to make sure that no school or no education authority is beyond 16 to 1, which is appreciated for sure. But if that’s the case, then the Minister is going to subsidize from within the department. So we are going to end up reducing education authority funding and then he’s going to add money back in. Is that correct? Thank you.

Thanks to the Premier for clarifying that. It doesn’t make me happy, however. We are now targeting regional centres’ education authorities and Yellowknife education authorities in a second year for a program which presumably is fully funded in this first year. We have 23 communities now ongoing for Junior Kindergarten. We had reductions from education authorities to fund the first year and the reduction in the second year was supposed to fund the second year, from what I understand.

The other concern that I have is that this funding is only coming from authorities who have schools greater than...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that consideration of Tabled Document 115-17(5), Northwest Territories Capital Estimates 2015-2106, be now concluded and that Tabled Document 115-17(5) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize two members of Yellowknife Education District No. 1, if they are still up there behind me, Mr. Al Cook and Ms. Heather Clarke. There were here earlier. Welcome to the Assembly. I’d also like to recognize two Pages who are here today from Range Lake North School, but they live in the riding of Frame Lake, Brian Johnston and Elijah Lange.

Thanks to Mr. Aumond. So there is no revenue anywhere. Like, the funding that we got from the federal government for devolution, was any of that for these capital assets? Thank you.