The bill actually allows us the flexibility to roll in Hay River. Whether it’s all up front or whether we transition it over a time, the bill actually gives us the freedom to roll it in.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations questions. I listened with interest as the Minister talked about the Metis people organizations in the Northwest Territories. The Premier mentioned $20,000 to the Metis organizations.

Can the Premier inform the House as to how many Metis organizations have received this $20,000 and what is the $20,000 for, for these Metis organizations?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We used to have 17 Metis locals; we’re down to 10. The funding is for core funding and administration.

For these 10 Metis organizations, this $20,000 for core funding, that’s a big piece of work that the organizations do. Does our government really believe that the Metis could operate on core funding of $20,000? Let it be known that the cost of operating in the Northwest Territories is astronomical. Is that out of the goodness of the heart of the GNWT, because I surely see a lacking of the federal government involvement in this type of funding.

The funding comes from the core funding that used to go to the Metis Nation of the Northwest Territories. When that body dissolved the money that was available was divided amongst

17 Metis locals. They used to receive $13,500, and two years ago we changed the funding formula so they get $20,000 each now.

Is there any sense of this good government going to see Ottawa and the Minister and saying, given that the Constitution has been settled, the Metis people are in the Constitution, is the federal government by any way going to help with our government? Because you do the math of the core funding of $20,000 for a political, constitutional organization, and this is what our government is doing, but the federal government is nowhere to be seen. Is our government doing anything to increase this core funding? This is shameful to give a political organization this type of money.

While we appreciate it from the territorial government, where are the feds in this deal here?

The federal government is negotiating land claims with Metis government, and Metis were included in the Gwich’in land claim and the Sahtu land claim and also in the Tlicho land claim, so it is being negotiated through the land claims process and I know that the federal government does fund some Metis locals that have been able to make their case for specific reasons.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Certainly, Mr. Speaker. There are also the Aboriginal First Nations bands that are in negotiations, but certainly under the federal jurisdictions they certainly get more than $20,000 a year to operate their core funding. I’m trying to see where the equalization of the Metis people to have the same type of treatment by the federal government while our government is doing the best it can with the amount of money that we have.

Where is this Cabinet in regard to seeing what the federal Minister has to say about raising the level of equalization to the Metis people as in the Constitution? Is there a strategy from this government to put the pressure on the federal government?

Thank you. It is being negotiated through the land claims process. Other than that we are funding $20,000 per local. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Aurora College Act under Section 8.(2) says, “The board, in exercising its powers and performing its duties under this act and the regulations, shall act

in accordance with the direction of the Minister.” I won’t read the previous Section 7, which allows the Minister to provide direction to the board, because I’ve read that in the House repeatedly. I’ve asked the Minister of Education to provide e-mails to the Board of Governors and to tell the Board of Governors of Aurora College to have town meetings with their students. Has the Minister done such a thing? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The Minister of Education, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The first time the question was raised in this House I did instruct my deputy to follow through with the president of the college to provide the e-mail address on their website for the general public to have access to them. So, based on that, it should be in the works. If not, then I need to follow up on where it stands. But that was the last discussions we had with the college. Mahsi.

Thank you. I look forward to being informed when it’s officially done.

I’ve asked the Minister to encourage or, better said, to tell the Board of Governors to meet with its students at each of the campuses. How better to get an understanding of who you’re supposed to be helping than meeting them?

Has the Minister told the Board of Governors that it would be a good idea to meet with the students at the three campuses?

I need to work with the Aurora College Board of Governors. At this time, this is an area that we’re discussing. I don’t tell them what to do, but I work with them. I do have authority under me as the Department of Education, but at the same time I feel that working together will resolve a lot of these issues and they do have Board of Governors meetings on a rotational basis between the three campuses and even more going into the other communities as well.

So, this is an area that the Board of Governors is reaching out to those students that should be heard, and if not, there’s also a website, there are also e-mails that should be available now for the Board of Governors as well. Mahsi.

I think the Minister meant to say e-mail addresses are on their way, not on the website. I just double-checked while I was there.

Why is this Minister concerned about the feelings of the Board of Governors and not suggesting or giving them direction, which is well under his authority under Section 7 of the Aurora College Act? What is he concerned about? Is he worried about hurting their feelings? Because he’s in charge for the best benefit of the college, the students and certainly the direction the MLAs provide.

Would the Minister of the Department of Education, who is in charge to provide guidance of Aurora College, tell the Board of Governors that it would be a darn good idea to actually meet the students at each of the three campuses, to get to know them because they are there to help them? Thank you.

Mahsi. What I can say today is that it is happening with the Board of Governors when they’re meeting at each campus, they allow opportunities for students to express their concerns as well. As the Minister, I continue to work with the Board of Governors, like the school boards across the Northwest Territories, I work with them.

So we need to build on our relationship that we have and I will continue to do so. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The public easily gets to meet their MLAs, their school board trustees, their city councillors, their town councillors, their mayors. The list goes on.

Would the Minister be willing to step up to the plate and show a little accountability from a Minister’s point of view to direct the college Board of Governors to have open town hall meetings and welcome their students? I don’t know why this seems to be such a difficult challenge for the Minister to provide this type of direction. The students deserve the opportunity to speak to their Board of Governors in an open forum to tell them their needs and certainly deliver their expectations of these governors. Thank you.

Mahsi. I will be sharing that with the Board of Governors. If this is an area that they can possibly build on their meetings that they have had on a rotational basis into their campuses, an open door policy perspective. So I will be sharing with the Board of Governors. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to opening address. Item 11, replies to budget address, day seven of seven. Mr. Moses.