Shane Thompson

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I understand what the Minister is trying to say. I understand we are trying to move forward. However, if we just match these numbers that we have now and we don't utilize all that money, that is $3 million just sitting there. To me, it is about small communities getting people to work. Will the Minister make a commitment once they have come up with a strategy within the next six months that they will bring it back to committee so that we can look at this information? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. That will be all the questions I have at this point in time. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I apologize to the Minister. Could you please clarify that? Somebody was asking me a question and I got sidetracked, so I apologize to that, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I thank the Minister for his answer. Again I appreciate the comments. Can we get a number, a goal, a number that we can look at? Because you are only giving us six months. How many people will we hopefully be able to give employment after these six months so that we can reduce that income support number? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for that clarification. I'd just like to go on page 35, and I see Healthy Children Initiatives, there's no money in. Has that sunsetted? I guess that was the first question. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to ask some questions about the inclusive schooling to begin with. Can the Minister please explain why we see a reduction of $1 million and change being reduced from inclusive schooling? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I thank the Minister for his answer. You almost confused me there. I lost my thought. That is easy today.

With this split in the two areas, small community employment and community service contracts of $920,000, can it be simplified and put into small communities so we would know exactly what the fund is instead of looking from one area to another area? I think it might be another question you might have to talk to the Finance Minister about moving it over. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I hate to belabour the point, but talking about plans and actually doing are two different things, so I am a little concerned that, if we are planning to do something, we are not actually going to do it. I am hoping that I am hearing the Minister correctly and that we are going to proceed that way. Another question I do have, on to another thing, is that health, wellness, and school support is going up just over $1 million. Is this part of the inclusive schooling, is this part of the PTS teachers, or is there something else with this area? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I thank the Minister for his answer. When we look at the college from 1968 to 2008, we had 269 TEP graduates; 78 per cent of them were of Indigenous heritage. The Minister actually talked about 33 students going down South to attend school down in the southern part of Canada. Can the Minister provide a percentage of what Aboriginal students are attending school down South?

Thank you, and I thank the deputy minister for her answer. However, we are talking six months in. We have missed the summertime. We have missed a lot of opportunities for people in the small communities to do work, and that is a challenge. So if the department can't do it, can we look at another department, give the money to MACA or Finance so they can get that money to the Aboriginal communities so people can get to work as of April 1st? Thank you, Mr. Chair.