Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there can be no denial that Northerners are resolute when it comes to surviving the cold winter months. We are tough, and we can take whatever February throws at us. Whether it is digging out vehicles buried beneath thick layers of snow or trudging through icy cold wind with a coffee in one hand and a frozen cell phone in the other, Northerners know the winter and it does not break us. We also know that it does not give us any breaks, but our government can, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, Mr. Speaker, I think it is about time Northerners deserve a holiday in February!

Mr...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think it is only fair to give the Minister the final word, so I will do that and yield the balance of my time. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I expect the debate will continue both here and in the House. This reduction around, I guess, around $3 million give or take, did the college decide to do this again because it looked internally and wanted to find efficiencies within and did this in an effort to streamlines its own operations so it provides better service to its students, or was this a decision that came through a mandate letter to identify reductions? Thank you.

So by my math, there is almost $32 million going to the college and then around $1 million going to College nordique and Dechinta. Does that account for the total amount of funding for post-secondary education, or is there some left over that is going somewhere else? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Perhaps, I will clarify. Unless I misheard, the Minister said that previous fiscal, this government provided $354,000 in funding to College nordique. I am wondering what we are providing in this budget for the coming fiscal year? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm a bit confused. I've asked this question before, and previous to this it was not the responsibility of departments but the responsibility of the college itself. Perhaps the Minister can clarify: is this budget sufficient to solve this problem once and for all, or are students going to go through another academic year or fiscal year struggling with glycol leaks and general unpleasantness in their learning environment here in Yellowknife? Thank you.

Thank you. What is the total amount for both institutions that our government currently provides? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I will try my best to be brief. The line description for the information item mentions the Aurora Research Institute. How much of the building and works line in the amount of $7,385,000, how much of that is allocated to the Aurora Research Institute for laboratory and other research equipment?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for being brief in his response. Mr. Speaker, does the Minister have any suggestions or new directions that he's going to take his department in getting this land use plan done and succeeding in his mandate, to his department and his own mandate, commitment to complete the land use plan? Thank you.

On the Deh Cho process, my understanding is that the interim draft land use plan has been approved since 2005, so what has kept our government from signing off on that land use plan for over a decade?