Statements in Debates
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we do focus on the communities, the 33 communities that we service, small communities, larger communities. It all depends on the infrastructures that are in most critical need. Depending on the Trout Lake and also other communities such as Nahanni Butte and other Deh Cho communities, throughout the Northwest Territories it all depends on the infrastructure itself where some of the schools are compatible for students as some of these highlighted, the Member is highlighting from his district riding. We must keep in mind that we have to work with the Dehcho Divisional...
Through the CALM program, Career and Life Management, it has been delivered in schools and this could be part of that programming. Again, the Member indicated that there needs to be more discussion in this area. We are exploring this area and where it can best fit in a school system. As we move further along on this particular subject, we will keep the Members up to speed if we’re going to make some changes to our school program. Mahsi.
There are just some areas that we’ve talked about with the agencies and the discussion that we’ve had about the child and family resource centres. I talked about the piloting of possibly two communities. First we need to identify what’s out there right now, what exists in the infrastructure in the community, how can we best utilize and add to it, ongoing support for daycare operations, implementation of an Early Development Instrument, development of revised kindergarten curriculum, updating and revising child daycare regulations, child care subsidy for parents who work or have returned to...
Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Robert C. McLeod will be absent from the House for a portion of today’s proceedings to participate in a multilateral conference call regarding the long-term plan for public infrastructure. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Madam Chair, the extensive review that has been undertaken in the 16th Assembly, there were quite a few recommendations brought forward. When we are meeting with the standing committee next week, we will be going through… Actually, we will provide that detailed information beforehand. It does capture what my department is going to be following through with and each of the recommendations brought forward, what the plan is for ECE to follow up. Those are the areas that we are seriously taking into consideration.
The two language boards established under the Official Languages Act, one of the...
Mahsi, Mr. Chair. Yes, the $26 million, it’s a lot of money, but it’s going strictly to the school boards, as well, and if we need to make those drastic changes, I need to work with the school boards. We’re talking about positions as well. It’s not only programming. So the teachers, the special needs teachers and support staff and so forth at the community level and at the regional level. So it does have a potential impact. But at the same time I understand where the Member is coming from, where maybe we can utilize some of those funds towards early childhood. That may be something that we’ve...
Madam Chair, I agree with the Member that this needs to be a collaborative approach with the Department of Health and Social Services. We have been working together on various projects already and we will continue to have this dialogue. It is an important piece of work. We will continue to discuss that further as we move along. Mahsi.
Mr. Chairman, we have identified the funds in there right now as it is. We are pursuing with the Early Childhood Development Framework. It’s not only our department, it’s with the Department of Health and Social Services and we’re talking about the centres in the regions and having a pilot project in two of the communities. We’ve identified funds already which may not be covered in here, but we feel that it’s important to pursue with the Early Childhood Development Initiative. So we’re doing what we can within our department to find the funds to cover the two centres that we talked about as...
Mahsi, Madam Chair. Those areas that the Member specified are important to be part of our school system. I’ll try and gather some more information on that specific topic which we don’t have detail but can provide to the Members what is currently being delivered pertaining to those areas. I know there are certain curricula that are out there. Social studies that reflect on the northern perspective. Also inclusion of residential school era curriculum that is going to be delivered this fall. Those are some of the areas that we’ve captured already but I will be getting back to the Members on the...
Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. The Member is correct about the residential school. There have been a lot of requests over the years. Some of the requests go back 40 or 60 years. We do have some information and some are electronic-based and some are still manual. We are doing what we can to have most of the documentation in an electronic database. There is a lot of information there but we are pursuing it. I am fully aware that it was an Auditor General’s recommendation that was brought forward, so this is part of our mandate of the department to pursue even further to make that a reality. Mahsi, Mr...