My first question in this area, just to be clear, is: we have 167 positions, as cited by the Minister, but it sounds like we’re actually running 180 positions, if I understood that. How is he funding the over-and-above 167 positions that get us to the 180 number? Just to be clear, that’s approximately 13 positions.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My question is for the Minister of Human Resources. It’s linked back to his opening remarks, but it’s only a reference to put relevance around it, because I want the exact wording when I ask my question.

The Department of Human Resources’ Main Estimates includes funding for 167 positions. Mr. Chairman, I need to reference that, because it’s clear as to how many positions they fund. For my clarity, or maybe the Assembly’s clarity, how many positions are there in total that are on the books or not on the books? How many funded positions are there in total within the...

Mr. Speaker, I came today to make sure my vote got recorded. That was probably the most important reason I came today. I’ve got personal reasons that should be keeping me away today, but my wife is keeping me abreast all the way through.

Mr. Speaker, I’m going to vote in favour of second reading on the simple principle of debate. The reason is — if I may steal the words of another colleague of mine — it’s going to give us the opportunity to fight like hell on a number of the lines, line by line. I welcome that opportunity.

I’m not going to pretend I’m in favour of the budget wholeheartedly. I...

Mr. Speaker, earlier today I talked about raising the bar of our trades programs here in the North by offering training that doesn’t exist today. That training would be the Red Seal Program for a cooking school. I had the chance and the privilege to bring the Minister down to a facility here in Yellowknife run by Chef Pierre, to see his facility and what could be done to elevate trades programs here in the North.

My question to the Minister of ECE is: would he be willing to look at this possibility of moving forward on implementing a cooking trades program here in the Northwest Territories, to...

Mr. Speaker, I compliment Aurora College for having their camp cook program that they operate in their existing programming, but I think it’s time that we can expect more and demand more.

The Minister has said that he would be looking at this situation. When can I get some type of commitment that they will bring down the Aurora College board and the officials to take a serious look at the nuts and bolts of this operation, to see if this is something we can do here in the Territories?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The government has put an increased emphasis on support for trades training and apprenticeship opportunities over the past few years. What hasn’t been discussed enough, as far as I’m concerned, is the fact that the trades training programs, in my mind, still have a number of gaps.

One area in the trades that is definitely needed in the North is cooking trades, a Red Seal Program. There’s a high demand for certified cooks in our diamond mines, exploration camps and in the food service industry in our North. The demand for skilled cooks will only increase when the...

Mr. Speaker, I’m not going to say that the Minister is completely wrong, but I just don’t believe him.

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that a PUB type of system will help protect and stabilize prices. Five out of our ten provinces in Canada can’t be completely wrong by finding an approach to balance this out. It would still allow that industry to raise prices, yet it would put the onus on them to bring a mild amount of justification.

So, Mr. Speaker, with all of that said, would the Minister of Finance reconsider his position in the context of providing a stable, protected environment for our consumers...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Before I begin I would like to make special mention of Red Friday, where people wear red to honour the troops.

Mr. Speaker, today’s Member’s statement is to talk about a couple of community grassroots events that will be happening here in Yellowknife. The first one is the Gumboot Rally. It will be happening tomorrow, Saturday, May 24 at 10 a.m. at the Yellowknife Education Board parking lot. It will be the scene of fun, games and a lot of laughs at the Yellowknife Association for Community Living, where they are holding their 16th Annual Gumboot Rally.

The rally is the...

Mr. Speaker, I move that we report progress.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know there will continue to be a number of empty positions out there. My issue is: are we trying to make sure that those 118 people will be provided not just the first opportunity but the real opportunity, in the context of “We've got empty positions — can we get them into those?” to make sure they can have some stable transition?

The issue, furthermore, goes beyond that. We have a number of these people potentially affected, the 118 people, who could go off to retirement. I want to make sure today; I want to hear about those types of numbers and situations. Are we...