Robert Hawkins

Mr. Speaker, I raised this issue with no intent of taking away from the hard work that has been produced, but any branding expert can tell you that when you expand and harmonize a branding product, you make sure that you overlap and in particular ways. That way your target audience, clients or potential buyers can all recognize the synergy is all enveloped in your messaging. For example, you can say experiencing the NWT without taking away the spectacular concept provided and promoted by NWT Tourism, or furthermore, as one more example, you can say only in the NWT and that would help, again...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to highlight the accomplishment of an excellent educator in our Yellowknife education system: Mr. Paul Bennett, principal of Ecole J.H. Sissons School.

Mr. Bennett is in Toronto at this very moment as one of 32 educators from across our country receiving the Outstanding Principal Award for Canada’s Learning Partnership for 2011. Canada’s Outstanding Principal Awards are presented to administrators who have made unique and crucial contributions to publicly funded schools and this year we are lucky to have one of our northern principals as a recipient.

Paul...

When can the public have an expectation to be able to see something that they can put their hands on or read to see where the government is fully going? I have heard the Minister’s response each time when she says the Joint Working Group’s direction, we’ll call it that, when they cast a position and it seems to be the one that the government’s following, but like anything, the devil is always in the detail and that’s where they’re a little nervous. So, in other words, when can we expect something in paper form or official form? I’ll say it that way. I don’t really care if it’s in paper or not...

Mr. Chairman, I guess by and large the concern from a number of constituents is that once the rally cry was heard and government decided to respond in what I would define as a favourable way, the public that spoke to me is the concern that they have disappeared on this particular issue and they are worried about what government may be fine tuning without sort of a public progress report of some sort. It is great that the Minister is speaking to the standing committee. I am aware of that, but from a public point of view, it is kind of scary to know that the government is taking care of you. It...

I would ask if the Minister could clarify that officially, because I think the last time I spoke to the deputy it was the reverse problem, which is the FMB’s authority -- to make sure it’s very clear -- restricts the use of those allocations in any other form but in the prescribed form.

Setting that aside with very little time left on the clock, I’ve raised, oddly enough in the same sort of circumstance, a timing that is raised with the deputy minister about what work is being done of rolling in physician costs into the departmental costs. One of the problems I’ve noticed is juggling those...

I don’t think that actually answered the question, which is I thought the policy restricted physician money being reallocated to, for example, NP money. So in other words, I can understand the FMB policy to ensure that if you didn’t hire a physician, you don’t run out and buy a whole whack of new laptops and photocopiers and fancy pens and whatnot. That would be a poor use of human resource money that’s meant for a job related to human resource function in that regard.

I understood it as the FMB policy did not allow you to reallocate to do the same type of similar service, if I may describe it...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On page 8-21 I just wanted to follow up with a couple of questions I noted under physicians inside the NWT and, as well, sort of cost to our health service centres. One of the particular issues I’ve noticed, and I’ve talked to the Minister and deputy minister, is the cost to health centres in how they distribute or reallocate funds; namely doctors’ cost and if we have a particular case where a health centre, or I should call it a health authority, where they are unable to find a doctor, they have excess funds sitting around, but they’re not allowed to hire NPs in the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In speaking to the Board of Governors last month when they were here in Yellowknife having their Board of Governors meeting, I know they are specifically targeting a long-term solution for the Yellowknife Campus. They need a solution that works, and the present solution in the NUP does not work. They are looking beyond that and they need someone to help lead that partnership role. That’s why I’m asking, would the Minister, once again, commit to seeing if he could pull the Aurora College president’s office as well as those potential partners together to develop a joint...

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the answer from the Minister there. I’d like to pursue, in my questioning, the area of partnership. As I understand it, the federal government has a P3 office suited for public partnerships, public, private, and institutions like Aurora College would fit into this particular case. Mr. Speaker, what has the Minister done to support the long-term planning of Aurora College with the private partners that do exist out there? I am aware that there are two potentially wanting to work with Aurora College, so I think we have an opportunity of interest. How does the Minister...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe we’re at a critical time in Aurora College development. There’s a widespread call across our Territory to build towards a northern university, a full degree, university-accredited degree programming that could be satisfied very perfectly in the next of what we’ve seen our Aurora College develop into.

I believe that Aurora College offers fine programming today and I believe it must stay true to its roots where it has provided much needed upgrading to students for its 40 years. It must also include a focus that moves forward, not back.

I believe great challenges...