Caroline Cochrane

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to start with saying I found it very interesting that the MLA actually expressed her mandates for education, culture and employment because, in my personal opinion, we need more women in leadership. Nothing against our Premier, I love our Premier, but wouldn't it be wonderful to see a woman Premier that could actually give mandates out to departments? I would like to start with that.

What are my mandates? Of course, I do have to listen to our Premier because I do respect him and I like the man very much. He has actually given me a direction that I have to abide...

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce the release of an action plan to support the 2017 NWT Aboriginal Languages Framework.

The Northwest Territories Indigenous Languages Action Plan has two goals. The first is language revitalization, with efforts intended to slow down, stop, and reverse the decline of Indigenous languages in the Northwest Territories. The second goal is to improve people’s access to public services in the nine Indigenous official languages of the Northwest Territories: Inuvialuktun, Inuinnaqtun and Inuktitut; Gwich’in, North Slavey, South Slavey, Tlicho, Chipewyan, and Cree....

I apologize. The Member is correct. I should have been a little more blunt. I'm excited about the possibilities.

The document, the Aurora College Foundational Report, will be tabled next week. We are already in the process, so it will become public next week. We are already in the process of working with the standing committee on the review and how we move forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Before I took the new position actually, the previous Minister was working diligently at that. There were increases to the daycare providers, licensed daycare homes that were provided, a large increase for infants, a smaller increase for the older ages up to three, and then a small but still an increase for the after-school children. The junior kindergarten also is huge for parents. I had my own concerns about it when it was going through, and I'm happy to say that those concerns have been alleviated. Parents are saying it is working. They are saving money. Affordability is being addressed. We...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this morning, I would like to recognize our language board members who are here in the gallery: Tammy Steinwand-Deschambeault, Jonas Landry, Deanna Marie Jacobson, Emily Kudlak, Richard Latourneau, Vance Sanderson, Angie Lantz, Sarah Gargan, Bella T'Seleie, Betty Elias, Joshua Oliktoak, Karen Mitchell, Mary Cardinal, Mary Rose Sundberg. I want to thank each of you for sharing your expertise and stepping forward in our efforts to revitalize and strengthen our languages. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled "NWT Indigenous Languages Action Plan: A Shared Responsibility 2018-2022." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Monday, May 28, 2018, I will move that Bill 17, An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, further to my return to Written Question 10-18(3), I wish to table the following document entitled "Zones and Eligibility of the Seniors Home Heating Subsidy Program as at April 1, 2018." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Our community learning centres are critical, especially to the smaller communities that the MLA has spoken about, because they actually are working on the ground with people. They're actually looking at people who perhaps have dropped out and need to have adult education programs. They can provide the access program to give people the prerequisites and support so that they can get into college or university, if that's where they need to go. They can do specialized programs in different areas. The problem is, though, that we need to make sure that community learning centres, that education from...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To actually pinpoint why graduation rates are low is difficult. There can be a lot of extenuating situations that make people leave school. It can be a lack of support. It can be family dynamics. It can be poverty. It could be "I met a new boyfriend, and I just want to hit the road." There are a whole host of reasons why students leave school, but what we are noticing is that we do need to do something about it. It is not okay. We are looking at things that we can control within education and things that we can actually do to support students to make positive choices.

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