Kieron Testart

Thank you. I just want to follow up on some of the line of questioning that my honourable friend from Yellowknife Centre made. The Minister made a comment that some of these emergency service needs, such as fire prevention, are going to be addressed by federal infrastructure programs. My understanding is that Infrastructure Canada does not have funding for emergency services infrastructure. Can the Minister address how that is being addressed if it is not through the federal funding programs? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. If there is a requirement for new telecommunications equipment or new hardware that goes into broadcasting technology, the microphones that we're using today, am I correct that that is therefore all handled by the O and M budget? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Some of my comments will be similar to my colleague's, the honourable Member from Frame Lake.

On the issue of the Power Corporation, the Power Corporation is now a de facto government entity, and I am not sure why. We have been told before, when this question has been probed, that the committee can make special arrangements to have the Northwest Territories Power Corporation appear and present its capital estimates and speak to any specific projects.

I think this is additional work, given that this is not an arm's-length entity anymore. The board is now made up of deputy...

I think the students expect more than just a plan. They want these programs to be retained, and also our own Skills 4 Success document wants these programs to be retained and effective. We need change now, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask if this contractor the Minister has hired has any experience with transforming educational institutions towards vocational skills, like taking a community college and turning it into a polytechnic or an institution of higher learning. Does this contractor have any experience with that, or are we just looking at an accounting review?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier today the honourable Member from Nahendeh talked about the fine work the Standing Committee on Social Development has done on the foundational review, and it makes me reconsider some of the Education Minister's comments from last week.

I wonder if he can answer this for me: what does he think the role of the standing committee is? From his statement, he seems to not address the fact that they are working on his timelines to provide the required advice. Further, he has gone on record saying that there was little agreement on what to do with the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just to be clear, I am well aware of the mandate of the department, and I think the capacity-building piece is there, but this information piece is very important, and it might not be contemplated by the current work.

My final question is: if we do a communication project like that, will the department be working with EC to ensure we have all 11 official languages covered and the information is accessible to communities through their local governments in local languages? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to thank the Minister for that response. It is good that we are aware of the issue. Have there been any timelines attached to this capacity-building exercise, or do those have to come after the ATIP legislation is rolled out?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to recognize Mr. David Ramsay, the former Member for Kam Lake. He has left big shoes to fill, and that is a good thing. Thank you.

You know I like timelines, but that is fine. We will let the department do its work. There is a significant public education piece here that the Information and Privacy Commissioner does take on their own initiative. However, given that this is a significant shift, and not just in legislation, but in culture as well, is the department going to work with municipalities on a public information campaign so everyone can access their requirements? If yes, well, we will leave it at that. I have another question, though.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issue with the municipalities providing access to information to their residents has been a long-standing recommendation of the ATIP commissioner here in the Northwest Territories. I know that new legislation is being considered, but what I would like to ask today of the honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs is: does the department have a plan to assist communities in meeting new ATIP requirements should they be implemented? Have they explored this, or will they need time to catch up should those changes be made? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.