Alfred Moses

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In regard to my Member’s statement today, I have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Under the declaration that was signed in 2010 on prevention and promotion by our Minister of Health, one of the guidelines is health promotion has many approaches that should be used. It talks about helping people learn and practice healthy ways of living.

Thinking outside the box, I want to ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment if there are any types of programs that he’d be looking at introducing into the school that deal with healthy eating...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I guess I just have one question. If there’s anywhere that I can place it, is under the directorate. It’s in regard to e-learning and seeing how this department provides overall management planning, communication and administrative support.

I believe the staff did get a briefing and presentation from the Beaufort-Delta Education Authority representatives on how successful the e-learning program that’s been happening in a couple of communities in the Beaufort-Delta region and some of the successes that they’ve had in terms of students that are passing the advanced level for...

Mr. Speaker, I also understand that the Aurora College is proposing a Northern Farming Training Institute through the Aurora College as a program. To take this further, we can actually look at probably creating that type of curriculum in the schools.

Inuvik has been doing a fantastic job. They’ve already planted in the fall. They have everything prepared over the summer. They actually go into the greenhouse, when the greenhouse is available, and it allows the students to continue to volunteer.

Looking at that type of curriculum and working with the Aurora College on what they’re looking at...

We do know that healthy nutrition and active lifestyles go hand in hand, but sometimes it’s the nutrition that kind of takes a side to the active living and we have to start educating our students on healthy eating, but also teach them how to start producing their own foods such as this Growing Food program in Inuvik. Is there any other possibility that we can start creating this Growing Food program in other schools in other communities across the territory? Has the Minister looked at that? Also, I am aware of the no junk food policy that all the schools have.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I welcome the Minister and his colleagues and his staff to the House today. As I have done earlier with other departments, I just want to highlight some of the concerns that came out of the Beaufort-Delta Regional Council meeting where our Minister’s staff was in attendance.

First of all, just the high school in Sachs Harbour. The leadership of the region was concerned and wanted to see how we can get graduates in Sachs Harbour right out of Grade 12, rather than having to send them to Inuvik to a boarding school. It is the same with Paulatuk. They want to try to increase...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just building off and continuing with the discussion before we concluded last night, Mr. Hawkins was asking a question about subcontractors and, actually, last night I had my iPad open to some specific e-mails that I was getting from some of the northern subcontractors that were listed under southern contractors bills for proposals in terms of getting some of those BIP points. In fact I had some e-mails from subcontractors who were saying that they didn’t get to see the proposal upon initial verbal agreements, seeing the proposal before it went in for the request. Just...

Thank you. I look forward to getting feedback and comments on that meeting because, as you know, health, fitness, and active living are all part of my campaign. I just want to know if the Minister will be looking at developing a specific program, much like the Department of Justice has with the Not Us! campaign, to create awareness, education and to help defer some of our criminal practices in the communities. Would the Minister look at creating some type of similar program to address obesity, specifically promoting active living, getting people active in the communities and put some funding...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the news today I read, in the most recent study, that obesity rates are at historic levels in Canada. So that kind of got me going, especially after discussions yesterday with the Department of Health and Social Services. Then, upon further research, I saw in the Stats Canada 2004 report, there were red flags that were showing that over the past 25 years, since 2004, there was a dramatic increase in obesity rates. Now, nine years later, the Northwest Territories and the Maritimes are recognized in this report as having the highest rates of obesity and they’re at...

Thank you. In regard to hearing from our vendors and the subcontractors, what would be the right way of getting that input from our subcontractors? Is there a complaints process or is there a process for concern, either on the webpage or a file or application that they would have to submit to government? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. He did mention working with Education. Our Minister of Education has mentioned trying to bring elders into the schools. Would the Minister of Health and Social Services look at the options of possibly bringing fitness instructors into the schools to create some type of fitness programs that can be done during lunch times, before school or after school? Thank you.