Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to follow up with the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I’m a little confused about some of the information that he was giving me with regard to the Student Financial Assistance Program review. I understood the Minister to say that the document or report has been done. There has been a response from management – I presume that to be the department staff – and that he as a Minister must review that before anything can be made public.
I’d like to ask the Minister why the report must remain private before the Minister determines the response. Why can the report not be made public? If it’s out there, people can comment on it while the Minister analyzes the management response.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I already committed that I will be tabling the document in the House.
I didn’t hear the Minister say when that is, so I hope that’s soon. I’d like to know from the Minister, it seems that in the last little while that it appears to me that reports are done, and then before the report gets tabled there are responses from management.
I’d like to know from the Minister whether or not this has become a current practice that a report is asked for, a report is received, and before the report actually gets tabled, the management response is asked for. Is this something which is becoming standard practice in the Minister’s department and across government?
When the recommendations are brought forward based on the input from the general public, there is a management response provided, and then based on that, the tabling of the document pursuant after that. As I stated, I will be tabling the document before the end of session.
Thanks to the Minister for that commitment. I look forward to seeing that report made public. I guess I still don’t quite understand the rationale for this current situation, so I would like to ask the Minister again: Is there a reason why the report would not be tabled before the management response is prepared?
That has been the process for quite some time now within the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. We are following the process and we’ll continue to follow the process as well. There may have been some discrepancies in the past where recommendations were brought forward by consultants, issues with the consultants, so we had to make sure that there is a management response to deal with that matter. We have gone through some hiccups along the way, as well, with this process last year and this year. We just want to make sure that we have the right document going out to the general public based on the recommendations brought forward. That’s part of the process of management response.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks also to the Minister. In listening to the answer, I have to say that it sounds to me as though we want to hide things, and I would hope that’s not the intent. If we have to get a report and massage the report before it can be made public, I’d like to ask the Minister if this is the reason: we want to make sure that we’re putting out the information that we want out there as opposed to what’s reported on the report.
Again, we’re not hiding stuff within our department or government. This is an area that we want to make sure and clarify whoever’s the consultant, having the same messaging. Recommendations brought forward may not be the same recommendations brought forward by the general public and also the department. We have to work together on this. We’re not hiding anything, but it will be tabled in the House before session ends.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
