Statements in Debates
Thank you, Mr. Chair. What some of this money does entail is it includes the northern counselling services, the northern travelling team that will go out into the communities. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. As this foundational review is coming to completion and we will get getting that report, the accountability framework will be guided by some of the feedback that we have also received through this foundational review. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Earlier I mentioned the "Right from the Start" early childhood development action plan that we have. That was based on best practices. We worked with our stakeholders, and we worked with the Department of Health and Social Services to develop that. When it comes to early childhood development and the importance of it, we are always looking at best practices throughout the country and other jurisdictions, but that action plan itself was based on best practices at the time.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Some of them are changing from a fuel allocation to a monetary system that will ensure that seniors receive their full benefit. We are also looking at expanding to seniors who are in rental units and looking at, obviously, the income thresholds, for one, and looking at modifications to how communities are allocated to specific zones, but as I mentioned, we are still in that review process and hoping to get those enhancements passed through in the new fiscal year. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We do understand there are unique situations that our residents and our families are in. We also have a great Student Financial Assistance program, so if a student is going off to school, hopefully they're able to budget within their means, allowing the seniors at home to utilize their Senior Home Heating Subsidy, as well as utilize their income assistance, if they are on income assistance, for their most basic needs. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. First of all, I don't have the level of detail in terms of the apprenticeships from year to year. I just have the current statistics, but we can get that information for the Member. SNAP and Skills NWT, they're both excellent programs. I believe they are having a positive impact on our students who are looking at entering into the trades. We have had some really great success at the national level, as well, with NWT Skills Canada and the work that they do. The great thing about the NWT Skills Canada program is a lot of people who have gone through NWT Skills actually go...
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, one of the main objectives of the Educational Renewal process was to improve student outcomes throughout the Northwest Territories. We have had a lot of initiatives in terms of making that happen. We are also looking at system-wide accountability.
As you have heard, we do fund over $150 million to the education authorities. We want to make sure that they are providing the programs, the courses, and services to the students in their respective regions, and we continue to work with our superintendents, our education authorities and board chairs.
It is something...
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I cannot make that commitment until we do see a report in front of us and a report from the Aurora College. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Currently we are committed to working with the Minister of Health and Social Services and his department with the Right from the Start early childhood development action plan. There are 19 areas of action in there. I believe my department is focused on five of them, the Department of Health and Social Services on five, and then jointly we are working on nine of those areas of action. It is not only the Department of Health and Social Services. I think it is very important that, when we look at early childhood programming funding initiatives, that we also work with our...
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I do appreciate the Member's passion for seniors and supporting seniors aging in place and throughout the Northwest Territories. We can have those discussions with the Government of Canada. It will be a bilateral agreement and discussion, but I cannot say what the Government of Canada will come back with. Thank you, Mr. Chair.