Kieron Testart

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that Committee Report 6-18(3), Report on the Review of the 2017 Report of the Auditor General on Climate Change in the Northwest Territories, be received by the Assembly;

AND FURTHER, notwithstanding Rule 49, that Committee Report 6-18(3): Report on the Review of the 2017 Report of the Auditor General on Climate Change in the Northwest Territories be moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this Assembly recommend that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a response to this report within 120 days. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I move that the Chairman of Committee of the Whole leave the chair to report progress. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to the Minister for that clarification. I think this is, again, something that we heard very loudly from the arts community. I am really pleased that the Minister has brought this forward, happy to support it, and I am happy even more so that it is ongoing funding. Hopefully, we can get a few more dollars next business plan. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Government Operations is pleased to present its Report on the Review of the 2017 Report of the Auditor General on Climate Change in the Northwest Territories.

The Auditor General's report was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on October 18, 2017. The Standing Committee on Government Operations held its public review of this performance audit report on January 17, 2018.

Committee members thank the Auditor General and officials from his office for preparing the report, for travelling to Yellowknife when the report was tabled and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I appreciate the Minister's commitment. Mr. Speaker, the other areas that are required for a successful university or post-secondary institution are independence and, of course, an institution driven by research. Aurora College has ARI, the Aurora Research Institute, but what it doesn't have is an independent board. When will the Minister reappoint an independent board so the college can be at arm's length from government and control its own affairs? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'm not advocating that the public funding for the Aurora College be cut; far from it. There are other universities in Canada that receive public funding, but are independent academic institutions. So can the Minister reassure me and others that, for the nearly $30 million we invest in Aurora College's operations, we are delivering the highest-quality programs that can stand up in other jurisdictions, without proper accreditation? Can the Minister confirm that what the students are learning at Aurora College can be used elsewhere in Canada?

Merci, Monsieur le President. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment recently released a discussion paper on Governance of Post-Secondary Education in the Northwest Territories, a discussion paper that I've been eagerly awaiting for some time given my commitment to accountable and relevant post-secondary education in the Northwest Territories.

The mandate of our Government states that the GNWT will begin to "expand opportunities for post-secondary education, trades-oriented learning, and northern education institutions." This discussion paper contains some important statements. The...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to request a recorded vote.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that consideration of Tabled Document 140-18(3) Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2018-2019 now be concluded, and that Tabled Document 140-18(3) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session to the form of an appropriation bill. Thank you, Mr. Chair.