Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. During the transition period, since we’re talking about 2014-2015, we are making connections with the daycare operators and also those school boards that we have to work closely with. My department has been in development and also implementing actions to support the licenced programming that will be affected. Those are just some of the discussions that we have been having initially with ECE, the regional early childhood consultant that works with all the child care centres across the Northwest Territories. These are just some of the discussions that will be taking place from here until the start of the next school year, so the discussion is ongoing.

It’s comforting to know that the Minister is indicating that we’re going to be talking to some of these partners in due course here, but has the Minister or his staff designed any formal programming and partnering with this junior kindergarten plan with these established daycares and providers of similar programs? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, my department, as I have stated, is developing an action plan to help support licenced programs that may be affected during the transition of bringing the junior kindergarten into our school system. Both Education, Culture and Employment early childhood consultants and also headquarters staff will be working very closely with all the daycare operators throughout the Northwest Territories and during the introduction of junior kindergarten will provide options for parents, and in particular for our communities that do not have licenced child care programming. Those are just some of the areas that we will be working and very closely monitoring and supporting those individuals and organizations as well. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I was hoping to hear more about the partnering aspect, because I think that a lot of these facilities are a bit concerned here.

Has the Minister or his staff performed any risk assessment that may occur if such junior kindergarten initiatives create closures of private daycare or current program offerings in our communities? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the daycare centres can convert four-year-old spaces to spaces for children zero to three. The Member is asking about a risk assessment. The program operators simply need to contact their regional early childhood consultant to work with them – all those daycare operators – to make necessary changes to convert the four-year-old space to accommodate younger children. So those are areas we are working closely with them.

We also provide additional funding of an additional $780 to convert each four-year-old space to an under-24-month space. This investment should comfortably cover the costs of necessities such as cribs, infant tables and chairs and tables, toys and resources.

Those are some of the areas we continue to work on with the child care operators. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The purpose of my questions today are to create ladders of opportunity for our private daycare facilities and our private providers such as Montessori, and I’m hoping that the Minister can commit to when he will begin these formal discussions, these formal offerings with these private facilities so they can voice their concern. When will this start to occur? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, there has been preliminary discussion with the child care operators when we started talking about the early childhood development, the overall framework and the action plan. Part of that was introducing the

junior kindergarten. All regions have early childhood regional consultants that are available to answer any questions or ideas that they may have or any assistance for these operators.

Under the Early Childhood Development Action Plan, my department has come out with having a comprehensive communication dialogue and also a plan. Within the plan, we’re developing a toll-free number that parents and operators and anyone interested can start conversing back and forth with our department, the specialists and consultants.

During the junior kindergarten implementation, we want to have a smooth transition, so we are providing those support mechanisms to these operators. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Within the next 46 days we will be implementing our Devolution Agreement, if all goes well.

I would like to ask the Premier, once this process has been completed, will this benefit the outstanding land claim groups in their negotiations? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I truly believe that will be the case. I think we’re seeing evidence of that now, working with the Dehcho First Nation where we’ve been able to work together to resolve some very difficult, complex issues around land on a without prejudice basis. I think the incentive for both of us to do it was devolution. I think that by putting rigour to the process with oversight by myself and the grand chief of the Dehcho First Nations, I think we’ve been able to work together and find some very innovative solutions to long-standing problems, and I’m really looking forward to the next few months where we will see if it will stand the test of going through the due process of both the Dehcho First Nations process and our government process.

We are also looking at entering a similar process with the Akaitcho First Nation. In my mind, this has provided a positive impetus going forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 8, written questions.

---Interjection

Mr. Hawkins, I didn’t see your hand up.

Mr. Speaker, this Legislature approves money to be directed specifically to human resources. In other words, we dedicate money specifically for jobs. The Northwest Territories as of December 31st , had an

unemployment rate of 8.2 percent. We’ve heard that deputy ministers will move money that is intended for human resources over to projects because they want to fulfil their mandate within their department. My view is they are actually breaking direction laid out by the Legislature. In essence, it’s tantamount, in my view, of breaking the law.

My question to the Minister of Finance is: Will he review the books over the last five years and find every deputy minister who has approved and signed these off and fire them?

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No.

I’d like to ask what the Finance Minister is going to do if we know that deputy ministers are signing off human resources money that is designed, protected and passed in this Legislature by a duly elected body when they go behind the scenes and re-appropriate the money for their pet projects. What is the Finance Minister going to do?

The Member is making very harsh, unfounded allegations of criminal wrongdoing, which is what he said, and asking that people be fired on the basis of the fact that for the last three days we’ve been sorting through vacancy rate numbers and he’s now convinced that there is a criminal wrongdoing, which would mean, since the deputies all report to Ministers, that there was some type of complicity or conspiracy.

Very clearly, this Legislature votes positions, when they are part of the budget process, to fulfil functions in government. Once those positions are in place and they are staffed or in the process of being staffed, then they become part of the working tools and process to meet the government’s and Legislature’s mandate.

Managing those vacancies is a legitimate government management tool that is used in every corporation, every business in the world. It is done properly. There are checks and balances in place.

There are questions about some of the numbers. The Member is throwing around big numbers and big accusations when the reality is we will be able to lay out adequately, I believe, where all the positions are and we are very cognizant of our responsibilities. We have accountabilities for

transfers of funds over $250,000 between activities, interactivity transfers that we have to report to this House every session. We are accountable as Ministers every day that we are in this House and every day that we have the authority as Ministers for what’s happening in our departments.

To accuse senior officials of such conduct and criminal wrongdoing with absolutely no evidence I think really doesn’t add to the tenure of the debate in this House. Thank you.

The department agencies can manage their vacancies and variances by meeting their goals, delivering their programs and services while staying within their budgets. So, what that’s saying is departments can manage their money by turning around and moving human resource money over to program money. I can tell you, the Finance Minister has witnessed a claim made by senior management where they’ve chosen to use HR money for program needs.

What is the Finance Minister going to do, after I’ve just heard his last response from the last question when he sat and heard the proof, because he was there with me. Thank you.

We have collectively approved in this House every budget that comes before it that runs the Government of the Northwest Territories. This is my 19th year, so

I’ve been through the budget cycle 19 times. I believe my colleague has been through that cycle 10 times. This issue of vacancies has come up periodically about what’s happening, what’s the vacancy rate and what are we doing to fill them, all legitimate questions. The Member now has taken it to another level where he’s implying that there’s some kind of conspiracy and planned wrongdoing here, and there isn’t, Mr. Speaker.

We have numbers here that we are going to be sharing with committee, that they’ve asked for, that provide the amount of detail that lay out the work that’s been done. Let me say once again, as well that managing 5,000 employees is a big job, there are management issues and they are a key resource and we need to manage all those resources, full or vacant, to carry out the work that’s necessary. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Mr. Speaker, it begs the question why do we even approve any budget if we know this? There are 571 vacancies the government is actively pursuing, but we can only find 100 on-line. We know, at the end of the day, no matter what we approved as the budget, the deputy ministers can go do an end run and move the money over to projects they want. So the reality is when the Legislature makes the decision, it just seems to be a waste of anyone’s time, including Cabinet and

certainly the public. With jobs being denied to Northerners, this just doesn’t sit well.

Explain why we’re here if the deputy ministers can go change the budget at their will beyond the Legislature’s approval. Thank you.

I would ask the Member to give one shred of evidence about pet projects, about the allegations he’s making. He says, why are we even here? We’re approving a $1.6 billion budget that provides services to every man, woman and child in the Northwest Territories. That’s why we’re here. We’re here to make laws that are going to benefit our people. We’re here to provide direction and oversight of a very complex organization.

The Member has some questions and concerns about positions. We have over 5,000 jobs. He’s talking about a few hundred vacancies, which we will lay out in detail as to where they are. I think his Hyperbolus statements, once again, don’t add to the tenure of the debate and they cause confusion in the public, and his draconian request for human sacrifice based on his state of high dudgeon is not helpful. Thank you.