Charles Dent

Madam Speaker, the Member has presented herself as an expert as to whether or not the people in Yellowknife are more expert themselves than the people in the other communities. I don’t accept that. I would say that we have people with the same qualifications available to us across the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, no, the department, as I said earlier today, wasn't consulted on the proposal. I have every confidence that the education system in any of our communities can handle the support that is required. The department provides funding for a teacher at the facility and the expectation is that the youngsters will reintegrate back into the school system. We are comfortable that as the process works itself through, that the young people in the facility will be prepared to participate in a regular school. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The education programs are delivered in the Northwest Territories by divisional education councils. They are funded to deliver that program. In this case, the appropriate divisional education council will be funded to deliver the program. The expectation is that appropriate programs are provided no matter what needs the kids have. That is why we have an inclusive schooling policy. It doesn't matter where a child is in the Northwest Territories, it is the responsibility of the divisional education council to make sure that they provide appropriate programming for...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, the proposed move of the facility is still at least a year-and-a-half away. This still has to go through the business planning process, so at this point Education, Culture and Employment hasn't actually done anything to plan the move.

I can tell you that ECE funds Yellowknife Catholic schools for providing services to that facility as a magnet facility, just as we fund YK No. 1 for the services that they provide to Allison MacAteer House. If that facility were to move to another community, that funding, the magnet funding, would also move to provide...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. This is an exciting time of year, especially for learners across the Northwest Territories as they graduate from our schools and Aurora College. I have attended several graduation ceremonies in the last few weeks and I would like to congratulate all of our many northern graduates.

Whether they are completing high school or a post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree, seeing successful graduates is a sign of the health of our learning system and a demonstration of the commitment of our students and their families to educational achievement.

I believe we are now...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I will have the experts within our system work with the people wherever the program is offered to make sure that that assistance, whatever it is that is required that we normally offer, is provided; that the same thing that we’re doing here will be offered wherever the program is.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Yes, I know that the Department of Education provides one teacher for the program and that the kids in the program work with the staff at the centre as well as the teacher to integrate back into the school system. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

That is not right. I have said in this House that I am satisfied that the programs can be delivered adequately in the Northwest Territories in communities other than Yellowknife. We are not the only community that has experts. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I don’t know if it’s because we’re in a round building, but I haven’t felt cornered by the Member in her questions.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The Member has identified an area where we have a critical shortage of facilities across the Northwest Territories. That is in shops and opportunities for young students to gain hands-on education experience. We are hopeful that true partnership, which that’s exactly how the project got going in Fort Good Hope that the principal and community was able to strike with businesses in the region. They were able to outfit that shop and get materials for the program. We are hoping that we are going to see more and more of that. We have good examples in the Beaufort-Delta...