Charles Dent

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I told the House yesterday, the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada will be arranging a meeting with the Hon. Diane Finley, the federal Minister responsible for the literacy funding that was cut, next Tuesday. Our intention is to seek from the Minister some understanding of where the Minister is going. We've heard from the federal government that their intention is to fund federal programs, programs across the territorial and provincial boundaries across Canada. But I am hoping to make sure that she hears this, that is that if she is looking at expanding...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, I would like to share some good news with you about education results from the 2005-2006 year and enrolment for this school year.

We have our high school graduation numbers for this past year and, Mr. Speaker, the results are excellent. Overall, our graduation numbers are up from 343 in 2005 to 359 this year. This includes an increase in the number of both aboriginal and non-aboriginal graduates. For the first time, Mr. Speaker, the number of aboriginal graduates is higher than the number of non-aboriginal graduates, moving...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In fact, the Government of the Northwest Territories funds the Literacy Council to the tune of about $440,000 this year. I have met with the executive director of the Literacy Council and have assured the council, through her, that we will look at what we can do to strengthen our funding. The total amount of money that this government is putting into literacy programming each year right now is in excess of $6 million. So we are going to obviously take a look at whether or not we should reprofile some of that money to better support the Literacy Council. We are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Brianne Christison from Aurora College, YK Campus. Brianne is in her fourth year of nursing and is visiting the House as part of the Professional Growth V course on nurses influencing change. One component of this class is to learn about how politics shapes and influences health care and health care policy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In fact, the Government of the Northwest Territories funds the Literacy Council to the tune of about $440,000 this year. I have met with the executive director of the Literacy Council and have assured the council, through her, that we will look at what we can do to strengthen our funding. The total amount of money that this government is putting into literacy programming each year right now is in excess of $6 million. So we are going to obviously take a look at whether or not we should reprofile some of that money to better support the Literacy Council. We are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the reasons that it takes so much time to change a program like this is that it is so important to so many people in the Northwest Territories. Because of that, we’ve spent a lot of time consulting with northerners and people were consulted in every region of the Northwest Territories. A lot of people asked for some significant changes, not just little tweaks, but significant changes. People have asked us to look at changing the program from a program of last resort to a program that looks at what does a person need in order to be more successful, to be more...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have taken to the Standing Committee on Social Programs several times over the past few months some proposals for program changes. We’ve discussed where we’re headed with this program. At this point, we’re in the process of developing the costings for the different models that are under consideration that we’re expecting to be able to take to the standing committee in November or December and the goal would be to look at implementing changes for April 1st, 2007. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the Northwest Territories our government has no intention of cutting back what’s there. So programs that are entirely funded by the Government of the Northwest Territories will definitely continue. The college is going to have some programs that they had hoped to expand this year that they’re not going to be able to expand, but we will take a look at what we can do in the future budget to strengthen our literacy program in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have worked with my colleagues in the Council of Ministers of Education Canada to ensure that we are able to meet with Minister Finley from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada to let her know personally of our disappointment with the approach. That meeting is, by the way, set up for next Tuesday. I have written to Minister Finley as well to outline our concerns for the impacts on the Northwest Territories that we will see from these cuts and to request from her their plan, the federal government’s plan, to reinvest in literacy so that we can...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The program is constantly under review for ways in which it can be improved. In terms of adding money to the budget, at this point there hasn’t been any plan to add money to the budget. We’re looking for ways to change the program delivery so that we can use what we have in the program more efficiently. There may be some proposals for change and may be some requirement for adding money, but that’s something that I would have to discuss after we come up with the program redesign, and that, Mr. Speaker, as I said, won’t happen before sometime in November and December...