Merci, Madam la Presidente. I participated in a Standing Communicate on Social Development and public technical briefing on Aurora College's transformation on October 27th, 2021. It appears that the work is largely on track. As the Minister knows, and I have publicly stated, I support further development of, and investment in, our education system as a whole, including postsecondary education. I support a polytechnic university as way to focus development of our knowledge economy; ensure our investment in student financial assistance is maximized; and, to give to our students more options.
One part of the reason of the briefing that caught my ear as the federal government commitment of $8 million in their last budget to support the transformation. While this is a welcome investment, it really pales in comparison to what has happened with federal funding or Yukon University.
In March 2019, the federal government announced $26 million for a new science building for the then- Yukon College to assist with their transformation to a university. In January 2021, there was a further funding announcement of $10.4 million in funding and inkind contributions to establish a strategy for patientoriented research, support for a unit, and a patientoriented research and trials unit in the Yukon.
This made me wonder why the GNWT is not getting a similar investment. I have always wondered what our Cabinet colleagues take to Ottawa as funding requests for submissions and what priority is given to various asks.
In the last Assembly, virtually all the effort went into getting big infrastructure funding for roads and more roads. I suspect that tune has not changed much, or not enough, with this Cabinet.
As I understand it, we will not have a full budget for the Aurora College polytechnic university transformation, including facilities, until July 2022. We can't wait that long.
We have a new and what appears to be ambitious federal government in a minority situation, again, almost like our own consensus government here. We need to get our case before them for funding and investment in our postsecondary system now. I will have questions for the Minister of Education later today. Merci, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Member. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.
