Alfred Moses

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The last question I guess I’ll have for the Minister in terms of this rebate program is: Are there any new funding dollars allocated to the film industry in terms of training and development in terms of the northern film industry people that work in this area in this industry? Is there anything that will be included in future budgets or even this budget that might enhance the products that they do and the training and skills that they do require for work here in the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Getting into more details, what type of rebate initiatives are we going to be looking at? Are we going to be looking at film training, development, at location incentives to get some of our people in the film industry labour jobs or professional development with our filmmakers, people who are already in the film industry?

Can I get more information on the incentives, rebates and costs that groups are going to be able to access? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

I would like to ask the Premier, in the first launch of this program, there were 12 discussion papers that were brought forth. I believe four of them were in the Northwest Territories; however, we have jurisdictional issues, northern challenges we face right across northern Canada.

Does the Premier or any of his Cabinet look at these research papers, look at the recommendations and act on the recommendations? As I mentioned earlier, they focus on things like climate change, land stewardship, education, health, a lot of these pressing issues that face northern people. Does the Premier and his...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. We are going to follow up to my Member’s statement. I would like to ask the Premier of the Government of the Northwest Territories, with the Jane Glassco Northern Fellowship and supporting our young northern leaders, those up and coming and those out there doing some great work on behalf of government as well as for their communities, for their Aboriginal governments, I want to ask the Premier, what role does our government play in supporting these young northern leaders with the work that they are doing in the communities and across northern Canada? Thank you.

I agree with the Minister that we do have a lot of challenges in our smaller communities, especially ones that are isolated.

The Minister and committee have had the opportunity to work with the Beaufort-Delta Education Authority on their e-learning program that provides education tools and education to the small communities using teleconference.

Would the Minister agree that this new e-learning structure is working and is very successful in the Beaufort-Delta region, and is he willing to look at providing additional resources to this project? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to commend the government and their work towards this ’14-15 budget and the budget address that was given to us earlier today. Obviously, we do have some challenges in the Northwest Territories that we have seen since the beginning of this government.

Looking at the budget address and listening very closely to what was in there and what wasn’t in there, where we need to put some focus, one area that kind of caught my attention is one area where the Minister did mention that we must do things differently in our ability to fund programs and services that...

I appreciate the Minister’s comments on the work that’s been brought forth by the Beaufort-Delta Education Council, and just quoting him he says it’s “very, very successful” and that we have to start investing into this organization.

Right now the Beaufort-Delta Education Authority, through the e-learning program, provides opportunities for three communities to advance their education, higher education, meaning that there are other communities in the coastal regions that aren’t getting the proper, not the proper but the same education that they can.

Would the Minister be willing to invest...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to follow up with my Member’s statement today. I have questions today for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

In the budget address it mentions that one-third of our NWT children start school already significantly behind in their overall health and development. I want to ask the Minister, with the data collection, does he see those stats as per norm that we see in the small communities?

Would the Minister give us any kind of indication what those stats are in the small communities and how he plans to address those challenges, those problems...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just to be pretty blunt about this, I guess, would the Minister be willing to fund the e-learning program with new dollars so that Beaufort-Delta Education can use their allocated funding for other programs and projects that other regions have? Is there new funding in the ERI Initiative coming down the pipes in the 2014-15 fiscal year? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to report to the Assembly that the Standing Committee on Social Programs has reviewed Bill 6, An Act to Amend the Medical Care Act, and wishes to report to the Assembly that Bill 6 is ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.