Statements in Debates
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. This particular issue has not been brought to my attention, but I definitely will check with my department on what the status is on this particular issue or challenge that we are faced with. Mahsi.
I totally agree that we need to have a better communication plan and dialogue with the teachers and school boards. That’s what we’re doing as we speak. The PowerSchool implementation team is comprised of staff from my department and also the board from each of the eight regions. It is a coordinated effort, and also the team works together to roll out the PowerSchool tools and information to all teachers across the Northwest Territories. Also, the boards are encouraged to provide PowerSource access to every teacher at the beginning of the school year. That is a coordinated effort by the school...
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. With any new changes and new system, it will take some time. It’s a learning curve during the transition period.
The data transfer occurred during the summer months when the school board and staff were unavailable. We had no choice but to replace the former electronic student information system that’s been placed upon us as a department. The work of transferring data fell to the staff of my department at that time, and they worked long hours to ensure its integrity.
We are confident, as the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, that the PowerSchool is an excellent...
Mahsi. Within the Executive department, the communication and services, there is a proposal that has been submitted, along with others that are out there with various programs. With respect to this particular proposal submission, it is being reviewed by the department. Again, what the Member is referring to will be taken into consideration and I will be speaking to the Premier, as well, upon his return, to see if we can expedite this process. Once we identify the individual as the interim, what can we do. So those are questions that we need to address with our Executive department. Mahsi.
Mahsi. That detailed information I will need to get for the Members. I don’t have that specific agreement, whether it be a year or two, due to the fact that there’s been a vacancy, there’s been a reshuffle within the Executive department. So we have to postpone that until such time as the next couple months. But it has been up to March 5, 2012. So it’s been a few months that we were without broadcasting, but we are committed to returning that with CKLB broadcasting. So we’re committed. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, it is a mixture where productive choices consist of the wage economy and also we are moving into more of a traditional economy as well. We have individuals that go out trapping. We have assisted them over the two or three months while they are in the bush. We have done so. We will continue to do that, even those individuals that may be on the land hunting and other sources to bring in some harvesting, as well, for the family and netting fish as well. Those are areas that we are embarking on. I for one like to pursue that even further, how we can engage those clientele so they can...
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank the Member for that particular question, because it has been addressed to my attention as the Minister responsible for the income security framework how the clients are treated by income security officers, client service officers. Due to that fact, we’ve initiated training for client services officers. I believe that’s coming up either this month or early next month on how to professionally deal with the clientele. We are very serious about our satisfaction of how we service those individuals, the clients, and we’ll make every effort to deal with that...
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Since this is a direction to the federal government, the Cabinet will have a free vote on this particular motion. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Mahsi. We’ll do what we can to expedite the process. As I stated, there hasn’t been a committed individual to take on the broadcasting as we have done in the past, but we are focused in those areas, and with reshuffle of the Executive communication area now, we need to identify an individual that can take on the task again. So we are committing to that.
With respect to the five Aboriginal languages, we need to work with CKLB on what could be delivered in that time frame and also in that area. We have done so, successfully, in the past. Obviously, we want to reach out to our communities too. So...
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. CKLB, the Aboriginal broadcasting, is very important to this GNWT, more specifically when we have to reach out to the most isolated communities. There have been other partners as well. There is ECE and also federal contribution towards this. We feel that we need to invest in this area.
With respect to advertising and also the air time, we have contributed approximately $3,400 a month towards broadcasting. We did continue to do so until March. Unfortunately, due to the reorganization and the Executive communications staffing vacancies, it was discontinued. But we are in the...