Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm sorry if I'm struggling with this amount. I have asked questions about what is presented before us in this budget, and I am hearing a lot of answers about how it was used previously. I understand that this number may change, but I am looking for why the department is requesting an increase of $1 million to this. I think what I am hearing is that, the previous year, it was a considerable amount more and it was redistributed, so they are trying to harmonize it to a degree where they can still support the contract requirements that they think are going to be required for...

Thank you. Just for clarity, then, this increase to the contract services line is in order to support those programs going forward into this year? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Can we have an explanation of what contract services are, then? I am still a bit confused, and this line seems to have fluctuated quite substantially in previous fiscal years. In the 2016-2017 Actuals, it was $939,000; in the 2017-2018 Main Estimates, it was $5,050,000; and in the Revised Estimates, it was $2,085,000; and again, now we see this increase. Why is there so much volatility in contract services in this activity of the department? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If the Minister finds that an official submission has not been made or the consultation has not been done on improvements, is that something he will undertake? Can he make that commitment to pursue this issue, working with his Cabinet colleagues so we can clear up this regulatory bottleneck and get certainty over our remote sensing opportunities in the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would hazard to guess that, if I asked the same question about promoting our mineral sector, the Minister could find those facts and fingers at his fingertips, so can the Minister develop the same approach to promoting investment in working with his colleagues in the mineral sector for the global remote sensing sector? If we want to grow it, we need investment, so is this work something he can do?

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am not sure what the issue is. I am talking about the Aurora College line item, $32,421,000, and there is a difference between the 20172018 revised estimates and what is currently being proposed in the 20182019 estimates. Can the Minister or the department answer why there is a decrease from $32,655,000 to the current appropriation that is being proposed, of $32,421,000? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I also would like to express the concerns raised by my honourable friend from Yellowknife North regarding the length of time it takes to approve and issue a remote sensing licence under the current Remote Sensing Satellite Systems Act.

As it stands today, while other jurisdictions have updated their regulatory regimes to accommodate a remote sensing licence in as little as 30 days, Canada still requires two years. The space industry is evolving, and the remote sensing sector is growing all over Canada, including here in the Northwest Territories.

This is a...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. For clarity, this is page 51, the contribution to Aurora College, $32,421,000, and the reason I asked the question on the detail of how we are spending that money is this essentially accounts for the vast majority of our postsecondary education money. It is a significant investment, and we need to make sure it is being spent right. I appreciate that, many of these comments, the Minister will say have to wait until the completion of the foundational review, but, again, we are seeing the same appropriation being proposed for Aurora College for this budget.

It does not appear...

Thank you. So, as a publicly funded independent institution, why is the Minister able to make management decisions on behalf of the college about programs that are being offered at the college? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Can the Minister confirm what the status organizationally of Aurora College is? What I mean by that is does this department consider it a public agency, consider it a department of government, a Crown corporation? What is its position functionally to the government? Thank you.