Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, while I generally appreciate the rosy disposition of the Minister for ECE, I have to express a bit of confusion. Mr. Speaker, the college is bleeding staff. They're missing milestones. There's no public statements on the indications about the transition so I have to say I'm a bit confused. The Minister seems to be quite confident about the transition, but all the public indications are showing that it's not going well. So, Mr. Speaker, if things are going well, where are the results? Where's the urgency? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister of ECE.
Mr. Speaker, I didn't particularly hear a specific question the Member wants me to answer other than where is the results. But I want to respond.
Absolutely, it is my goal to lead the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. That is what I've signed up to do, and that is what I'm doing. If I stand here and talk about doom and gloom, I'm not exactly leading people into prosperity, leading people into the next stages. I absolutely support, which is what I have said -- I support the transition and transformation of the Aurora College into a polytechnic, and I will continue to support that project as long as we are funding it, as long as we are -- as a government are funding it and expecting it. And that is through dollars that we approve in this House. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And while I appreciate the answer, the Minister's also responsible for mandate and direction, so it's not just dollars.
Mr. Speaker, I've heard things such as the college has been approached by entities offering to build housing, offering to provide a campus even, and the board has been rejecting these offers. What is going on, Mr. Speaker? How could a board committed to transitioning to a polytechnic possibly want to turn away from such opportunities for this kind of collaboration? Again, Mr. Speaker, I want to speak to accountability. What is the Minister's relationship with the board, what is the Minister doing to ensure that the board is advancing this transition at the pace that we need it to advance knowing that it is already off track? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm in a bit of a difficult situation here where I'm being held responsible, really, for operational items. And I'm not in charge. I do not have the authority over the operations of the college. However, what I do have control over is the mandate agreement which we set together which we're in the process of setting right now. I also have control over the accountability framework which was just put in place and I intend to use. I also do have control over the funding framework of post-secondary institutions and Aurora College, and I intend to use that as well. These are the three key tools that I have at my disposal and have authority over and will use in this process. That accountability framework is a key piece, and that was just put in place this summer. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, is the Minister concerned about the milestones that the college is facing? Does the Minister share my concern that the project appears to be significantly off track and that does not appear to be reversing? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It is always a red flag whether we miss any deadline whatsoever. It is always a red flag. We make deadlines which are commitments to the people of the Northwest Territories and the public. That is definitely a concern of mine. Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to Frame Lake for final supplementary.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And knowing that we are seeing red flags, the question I have is, is the Minister willing to take decisive action, if necessary, to move the board forward, to move this project forward, to ensure that it gets back on track in a timely fashion? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I intend to use the tools that I have at my disposal to guide Aurora College board of governors and to also support them as best as I can through this transformation. Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Yellowknife North.
