Mr. Chair, in hearing the Minister regarding the quality for staffing issues in the Beaufort-Delta and Inuvik…. On October 6 I made my Member’s statement regarding staffing, having to share a bathroom in Mangilaluk School, eating lunches in the hallways. Where does that come into play? I’m in support of the building, but the market disruption I’m starting to hear about more and more. I really think it should be looked at.
You’ve got private businesses in Inuvik relying on us. The Minister stated that there is going to be no market disruption; I think that should be relooked at. There is no equality in regard to what we’re dealing with in the small communities. You have communities that are, you could almost say, giving up on our government. They should be really looked at before we go into a community or a town the size of Inuvik — talk to the local businesses and give them that chance and opportunity to speak to us.
Just to let everybody on the other side know, I am in support of the building. But we have to make sure the businesses that do own the buildings in the community of Inuvik are taken a look at before we do anything like that.
Then again I go back to my Member’s statement: where do we get on the list for this? It’s going to be an uphill battle for me to try to get an extension put on Mangilaluk School, which we really need. The school in Inuvik, while I am in support of it, I guess I have to go there with a truck and try to take all the excess, anything left over, to get anything done — take the crumbs.
That’s how it looks to me right now. The communities are left in the dark again. Four years and we’re not going to receive anything. I always say: thank God for the Building Canada Fund. While I am in support of the Inuvik school and I am in support of the building, we should defer in regard to making sure that businesses in Inuvik are taken care of first before we make this decision.