Caroline Cochrane

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The other day I recognized the Pages from Range Lake, but I hear we have a new Page from Range Lake. I want to recognize Lacey Lewis. Congratulations for being here, and I also recognize all of the Pages. Thank you for your work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 654-18(3): Living Wage and Northwest Territories' Child Benefit." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, a high-quality education system is one that ensures that student wellness and the development of a positive sense of identity are promoted and embedded in school experiences, programming, and environment.

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment values diversity in our school communities. We recognize the unique challenges experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and two-spirited, or LGBTQ2S+ people, including being possible targets for discrimination and bullying.

In support of these students, staff, and families, the Department, as part of...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Great Slave, that Bill 57, An Act to Amend the Employment Standards Act, be read for the second time. This bill amends the Employment Standards Act to:

extend the period of entitlement to unpaid parental leave and to provide for parental sharing of leave;

extend the period of entitlement to unpaid compassionate leave;

provide an entitlement to unpaid family caregiver leave, to allow for individuals to care for family members who are critically ill or injured;

provide an entitlement to paid and unpaid family violence leave;

extend the...

Mr. Speaker, I'm very pleased to advise the House that a ceremony was held this morning in the Great Hall to celebrate eight individuals who have made tremendous contributions to education in the Northwest Territories. Please join me in recognizing this illustrious group in the gallery today, the 2019 inductees into the Education Hall of Fame: Ms. Sheila Cook from Hay River; Sheila Kindred from Fort Smith; Eileen Erasmus from Yellowknife; Steve Nicoll from Fort Simpson; Michelle Brown from Fort Smith; Claudia Parker from Yellowknife; Brenda Johnson from Yellowknife; and Gayle Strikes With A...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In all fairness, I mean, we try to get all children into programming, because the greater the chance of success, actually, if you do have early childhood intervention. The act is pretty clear, though. In 12(1) of the Education Act, it states that a child who is six or under -- and I am going to paraphrase a bit, because I have summarized this from the act, but that is the section. It might not be the exact. Children who are older than six and under 16, the act is very explicit, shall register for school. Then 19(3) says children may register if they are under that age.

W...

What I am hearing in that statement is that we are not doing a good enough job of actually getting out there and letting communities know. I do apologize for that if that is the truth. We do have regional representations. I will mandate that they actually get into the communities. All of them, not just the Sahtu. All of them should be going out and talking to Indigenous governments, municipal governments, principals, teachers, superintendents, et cetera, to be able to promote and answer any questions on their programs. If we are falling behind on that, I will make sure that that is a priority...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We just finished collecting the data. I believe it was at the end of March, actually, that the survey was finished. We're compiling it. It was pretty open-ended, so it is a lot of work, actually, to get the 750. It wasn't just ticking off boxes. They were open-ended questions. We are compiling that now. We will be providing it within the next few months.

I feel that the best way of working in consensus government is actually working with committee. What I am proposing, and I haven't actually, but I'd be sending a letter to committee and asking them to meet with them to...

Currently, actually, the funding model doesn't impact if a student doesn't attend. There is no consequence. However, if the student doesn't register at the beginning of the year, there could be an impact in the funding formula because the funding formula is based on the first month of enrolment. Then after that, it is provided for the rest of the year. They are always kind of a year behind. I am not 100 percent satisfied with the funding formula. Other MLAs have asked me about that. In fact, other superintendents have had issues with that, and chairs.

I have actually committed to doing a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are just in the process, actually, of doing a review of our education renewal, all of the initiatives, but I can talk about a few that have been successful, not based on statistics, but just on what we are seeing.

Our Northern Distance Learning, huge success. Again, I don't have the stats to show that. We are just reviewing it now. I will use Ulukhaktok as one of my examples. I know there are other communities. Three students who graduated from Grade 12 in that community who would have normally had to take upgrading have now got the credentials that they can actually...