Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I have some questions for the Minister of Infrastructure. Can he tell us when these fabulous new airport improvement fees are actually going to come into effect? Is it going to be July 1st? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would have to look up the exact details, but it comes into effect July 1st, so I suspect the airport improvement fee will come into effect on that date and the landing fees as well. I think there was discussion with committee that people who had booked airline tickets prior to the implementation of this date would be offset, and those charges would not be applied to them for the fees. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thanks to the Minister for that response. A few more questions about the Yellowknife Airport Evolution statement that he made earlier today. I know I had asked previously whether the terms of reference for the Economic Advisory Committee were public, and now there are two more committees, an Airline Consultative Committee and an Airline Operating Committee. I am kind of confused here, but are there terms of reference for each of these, and can the Minister provide them to this side and make them public?
As we went through the planning of this, we have made it quite clear that there were these other committees. I am sure that they are in a public realm, and they could be made available to the Member.
Thanks to the Minister for his response. I am not sure they are actually in the public realm yet, and that is why I am asking. So he has got commitment to share them with this side, and I am sure he is going to make sure that they are posted immediately to the Infrastructure website, but the economic advisory committee, has his deputy minister made the appointments to that body yet?
The deputy has shared some names with me of people who have either approached us about having their name submitted and some possibilities, but I do not believe that those positions have been determined yet.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. Thanks to the Minister for that response. Of course, I have expressed in this House my view that I think the appointments should be made by the Minister himself rather than a deputy minister, but when those names are finalized, is there a commitment from the Minister to release them publicly and make them available to the Members on this side as well? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I can do that for the Member.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I have two written questions today. For the first one, my questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. The Minister provided Regular Members with the most recent version of its School Funding Framework that I tabled in the House yesterday. Can the Minister:
Identify the number of students enrolled in junior kindergarten alone, and in kindergarten to grade 12 cumulatively, and each school offering the Junior Kindergarten Program in 2016-2017;
Provide departmental projections of the above for 2017-2018; and
Identify differences between current K-12 funding and that same funding if it accounted for JK-12 in the items below, using estimated 2017-2018 enrolment figures and the formulas set out in the framework shared with Regular Members:
School Funding Framework – Administration – Administration O and M – item (i), Administration and School Services: (Administration Staffing for Assistant Superintendents, Administration Officers and Clerical Staff according to the tables);
School Funding Framework – Administration – Administration O and M – item (ii), District Education Authorities O and M: (Community Base of $15,000 + K-12 FTE x $86);
School Funding Framework – Territorial Schools – item (iii) – School Support Consultants: funded according to established table;
School Funding Framework – Territorial Schools – item (iv) – School Counselling: (K-12 community FTE x 0.0032);
School Funding Framework – Territorial Schools – item (v) – School Secretaries: (K-12 community FTE x 0.00028);
School Funding Framework – Territorial Schools – item (vi) – Custodians: (K12 community FTE x 0.0102);
School Funding Framework – Inclusive Schooling – item (iv) – Support Assistants: (Community K-12 FTE / 63);
School Funding Framework – Inclusive Schooling – item (vi) – Staff Development – Base funding of $2,000 per community + (community K-12 FTE x $50) x NCI;
School Funding Framework – Inclusive Schooling – item (vii) – Specialized Learning Materials / Assistive Technology: [Education Authority $10,000 base for minor projects + Base funding of $2,000 per community + (community K-12 FTE x $62)] x NCI;
School Funding Framework – Inclusive Schooling – item (x) – Healing and Counselling: Base funding of $10,000 per community + ($60 per K-12 FTE x NCI);
School Funding Framework – Aboriginal Languages & Cultural Programs – item (i) – Aboriginal Languages O and M: (Base funding of $100,000 per education authority) + ($9,000 x number of communities minus one) + (Aboriginal K-12 FTE x $125) x NCI; and
School Funding Framework – Aboriginal Language & Cultural Programs – item (ii): Education Assistants / Aboriginal Language specialists (EA/ALS): Aboriginal K-12 FTE per community, according to established table?
Merci, Monsieur le President.
Masi. Written questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. For my second question, my questions are for the Premier. Members of Cabinet and their support staff travelled to Ottawa in November 2016 for intergovernmental meetings and parliamentary presentations. In his January 31, 2017 reply to my written question, the Premier said that "there were no lobbyists or consultants engaged in the planning or coordination of this trip." Can the Premier explain why we pay the lobbyist firm Earnscliffe Strategy Group more than $120,000 per year to provide "media and government relations and communications" services in Ottawa, but did not use services during the one visit the full-time Cabinet made to Ottawa last year?
Did any of the seven Cabinet Ministers and 15 staff members participating in the trip to Ottawa meet with any representative of the Earnscliffe Strategy Group during the November 2016 trip to Ottawa?
Why did the Earnscliffe Strategy Group invoice the GNWT for a total of $30,450 for October, November, and December 2016 service if the firm did not provide services before, during, or after the visit?
Why the Federal Lobbyist Registry describing the activity of Earnscliffe on behalf of the GNWT says Earnscliffe, arranging meetings with the federal representatives, when we do not have these services while in Ottawa?
Will the Premier provide a copy of the Executive Indigenous Affairs Department's contract with Earnscliffe Strategy Group?
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled "Knowledge Agenda: Northern Research for Northern Principles." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Tabling of documents. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents entitled "Communities and Diamonds 2016 Annual Report," and "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 503-18(2): Northern Frontier Visitors Centre." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Tabling of documents. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents entitled "Inter-Activity Transfer Exceeding $250,000 (April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017)" and "Report of Special Warrants Issued (January 31 to May 24, 2017)." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Tabling of documents. Minister of Justice.
Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled "GNWT Response to CR 8-18(2): Report on the Review of the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 Annual Reports of the NWT Information and Privacy Commissioner." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Tabling of documents. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled "Early Childhood Development Action Plan 2017-2020." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Tabling of documents. The Honourable Premier.
Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 438-18(2): Empowering Local Governments." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Tabling of documents. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Thank you. I wish to table the following document entitled "Follow-up on Tabled Document 355-18(2): Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 385-18(2): Changes to Cities, Towns and Villages Act." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Tabling of documents.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Great Slave, that notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on June 2, 2017, it shall be adjourned until Tuesday, September 19, 2017;
AND FURTHER that at any time prior to September 19, 2017, if the Speaker is satisfied after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice, and shall transact its business as it has been duly adjourned to that time. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. The motion is in order. To the motion. Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed?
---Carried
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River South, that Bill 31: Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures) No. 2, 2017-2018, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
