Jackson Lafferty

Mr. Speaker, thank you for this opportunity to share with you an exciting initiative that will move forward some of our government’s top priorities, enabling Aboriginal youth to achieve their potential through quality education and developing home-grown solutions to our labour market challenges.

I am proud to announce that the Council of Ministers of Education Canada has asked me to co-lead a national initiative to improve Aboriginal education across Canada with my Alberta counterpart. This appointment recognizes our experience in developing residential school teaching resources in partnership...

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. I totally agree with the Member. This is one area where we’ll continue to focus, because it’s been in the works for some time now. Formula funding, based on the library allocation, we’ll definitely be discussing further. Mahsi.

Mr. Chair, all I can say at this point is that two pilot projects have been a success. We gave the contribution and they have expended the contribution. Future programming, we’re still talking about that with the two departments, so if we move that along, we will definitely be sharing that information with the Members. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The school formula funding is the prior year September 30th student enrolment, and use prior year salaries adjusted for current year. Based on the Collective Agreement, there’s an increase. There’s also an adjustment to the cost difference due to freight, travel, cost of living and the program costs. I believe Mr. Moses alluded to that on the cost of living. Also, the block funded, some of the discussions, it’s within the funding formula that’s highlighted.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. The funding that we contribute to the school boards and also to the language centres, based on that, the programming and also the resources that are required. What the Member is alluding to is very specific to that riding and I can gather that information as to the status. I don’t have that detail of information at this point, if that individual has been hired to deal with the language itself, but we are investing tremendously in the language centre and I just indicated that we are providing additional funding to Aboriginal governments to deal with those matters at hand...

Mr. Chair, those are just some of the discussions that we need to have with various researchers out there, programs that have been successful, as Members indicated one of the programs on Aboriginal language, so we need to compile that information. At the same time, we are working very closely with the Aboriginal governments. As indicated in my Minister’s statement, we are re-profiling funding back to the communities, back to the Aboriginal governments because they are the experts when it comes to Aboriginal language, and we are there to assist them and to support them and work closely with...

As I stated, this will be a discussion that we need to have with the school boards. Obviously, we want the surplus funds to go to our children in the Northwest Territories, the education programming. It’s very preliminary at this time, but the discussion will be happening with the school boards.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. The junior kindergarten, again, as I stated, is play-based programming and I’m glad the Member is referring to a culture base being part of the component. As the Member knows, we just introduced elders in schools, so we want to fully utilize those elders in schools, elders as part of the programming. One part of the learning themes is belonging, also becoming – those children are four-year-olds – to be independent, and learning areas such as living in a world, thinking, and also working, so those are just some of the patterns that will be taught as part of the four-year...

Mr. Chair, to my left is deputy minister of ECE, Gabriela Eggenhofer. To my immediate right is Dana Heide. He is the associate deputy minister, and also Marissa Martin is the director of finance and capital planning to my far right. Mahsi.

We are serious about qualifications, as well, for those professions that will be looking after our children, and junior kindergarten teachers obviously will be required to have the same basic qualifications as K to 12 NWT teachers. Most NWT teachers have a minimum of a Bachelor of Education degree, so that’s what we’re striving for, also the undergraduate degree in a specialized area, and a master’s degree. All junior kindergarten teachers will be required to be registered under the department’s ECE NWT teacher certification. The Member alluded to if there is going to be such training. All...