When the Minister keeps saying how he keeps listening to all of these people, I’m certainly glad that’s the case. I’m sure the Minister listened very carefully when we went from one end of the Assembly on this side of the House to the other and all 11 Regular Members loudly, clearly and very passionately spoke that we didn’t want Junior Kindergarten implemented in the manner as described by the Minister because it would affect Aboriginal Head Start, it would hurt day homes and it would have all these types of problems all related to funding and perspective.

So when the Minister says he listens...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was going to ask questions about the morel issue, as my colleague Mr. Nadli brought up, but there is so much to talk about with the Junior Kindergarten issue. I can’t miss an opportunity to highlight the importance of this.

While I was in the communities on the weekend, Mr. Speaker, someone had told me they didn’t want the Junior Kindergarten program, but the Minister over-wrote that community and so he used his authority to tell a community you’re getting what you’re getting. So, at the end of the day, what’s the point of having community input and the community...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll concede I probably could have put that a little nicer, but that’s the truth and the public wants to hear the truth. Sometimes they want to hear it exactly for what it means.

The last question is: When you’ve got deputy ministers telling these day home operators that even though you’ll lose one-third of your income, it’s up to you to start budgeting better, it’s time for you to accept the fact that the loss is yours and you need to start accepting this, these are quotes from family people who went to your meeting organized by you.

Does the Minister stand by that...

Mr. Speaker, this Minister has scuttled the daycare ship and he’s now coming up with policy about not shooting holes. He’s singlehandedly ruined the daycare system out there and is now saying, oh well, we’ll develop policy when we come across that bridge. This Minister should be proud that he’s going to go down in history as the person who has ruined daycare in the Northwest Territories.

With all of these changes, wouldn’t you have thought it would have made a lot more sense to develop policy to know what types of bridges we’re going to cross before we blow them up and ask ourselves, geez, how...

[Translation] Mr. Chairman, the environment is important for each of us. We have to make responsible choices for our future. [Translation ends]

Mr. Speaker, I’ve been trying to make a concerted effort to learn a little French, and what I’m trying to tell everyone here today is that the environment is important to all of us. We have to make a responsible choice towards our future.

We all have an important role for promoting and developing and getting behind responsible development, but when our government says to the public it’s open for business, I’m cautious to wonder what type of industry...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too wish to use the occasion to wish Mr. Brock well and certainly on his journey that he will be taking. His next steps are unknown to most of us. So let me just say that wherever you go, I am sure you will do a fine job as well.

Mr. Speaker, this also gives me the occasion to welcome Ms. Nicole Latour. Many of us have known her for many years. We have known what great work she did here at the Legislature but we also know her reputation as being a very tough and hard, straight shooter, as she is well known as. If you have ever dealt with Ms. Latour, you will know she’s...

Mr. Speaker I seek unanimous consent to return to item 6 on our orders of the day, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted

The Minister introduced this. Let’s find out what changes he’s referring to, because the last public meeting the daycare folks went to the department told them to suck it up and find a way. So, what are those changes?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the opportunity to ask a question here today. I’m going to follow up on similar questions and not let the Minister of Education off the hook. I think my MLA colleague Mrs. Groenewegen is quite right. I mean, we were there to solve the problem and, as such, it was things about providing child care support for families in small communities and we’ve done completely the opposite, we’ve made a mess.

In short, no one is against the concept of Junior Kindergarten, but now we have day homes at risk. The Minister is poaching one-third of their students; he’s turning...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I use the opportunity to recognize Mrs. Cindy Dolynny in our gallery here today. She’s sitting next to a particularly friendly person we all know very well today. I’m not allowed recognize them in particular, but that said, I’d like to recognize Mrs. Dolynny in the House.