Thank you very much. It’s kind of like a big community motion built on using the word small communities, but I am going to support it, but only because it’s a recommendation at this

point. Of course, committee will be wanting to have full discussion with government on it and I will look forward to further details as we move along on this motion.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. To the motion. Minister Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. I would like to thank the Members for highlighting this as one of the priorities of this government.

These 10 communities that the Member is referring to, the one that that has been highlighted, this will obviously provide child care programming into these 10 communities that we currently don’t have any licenced programming, licenced early childhood programming. So we are capturing those 10 communities.

Part of the discussion I’m hearing is that we’re not providing or supporting these daycares in the communities. We are currently providing subsidies to these daycare operators in the Northwest Territories and currently delivering existing funding. I will just capture some of them. It is a start-up contribution, $340 per infant as a start-up cost for these infants for these daycare operators. Operations and maintenance funding is another one. Minor health and safety contribution, up to $10,000 per year that these operators can access. We also cover rent or mortgage up to 25 percent annually. There is also a Small Communities Initiative of $15,000 per year. The list goes on with the subsidies.

My department is willing to work with all the daycare and child care operators. That is what we have done in the past, will continue to provide those supporting mechanisms and we will continue to provide the support.

This is obviously direction to this government and we are currently delivering and providing those support mechanisms in place already and we will be capturing those 10 communities for early child programming. We are currently delivering it, we will be. So, Mr. Chairman, Cabinet colleagues will not be supporting this initiative at this point. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. To the motion. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just a number of brief financial comments. The number that I have heard for universal daycares is somewhere in the neighborhood of $42 million in new money. This motion talks about reallocating existing resources. I would point out that junior daycare is reallocating existing resources and I hear, especially from the Yellowknife MLAs’ considerable heartburn, that in fact the reallocation has been done and the government should pay for everything. So, it is the issue of affordability, and we want both, we want

both the daycare and junior kindergarten. I don’t know how you would propose to fund that, knowing that reallocation of resources has already been done on the junior daycare. This is a motion that has significant implications. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger.

Question has been called. The Member has asked for a recorded vote. All those in favour, please stand.

All those opposed, please stand.

The results of the recorded vote: seven for, seven opposed; a tie. In this case, colleagues, my vote as Chair is against the motion in order to retain status quo and provoke further debate. The motion is defeated.

--Defeated

Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that we report progress.

---Carried

I will rise and report progress. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses out of the Chamber. Thank you for your assistance tonight.

Good evening. Can I have the report of Committee of the Whole, Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your committee has been considering Tabled Document 22-17(5), Northwest Territories Main Estimates 2014-2015, and would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Do I have a seconder? Mrs. Groenewegen.

---Carried

Item 22, third reading of bills. Madam Clerk, orders of the day.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until Thursday, February 27th , at 1:30 p.m.

---ADJOURNMENT

The House adjourned at 8:28 p.m.