Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We are closely monitoring what the federal move is on the old age pension. That’s been a controversial issue at the national level. We, as the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, do provide assistance to, as the Member indicated, income support clientele. If the move goes forward as we’ll probably see, we need to prepare our department. We need to prepare the GNWT on the repercussions of the decision that is going to be made. We will be closely monitoring what the decisions are going to be. Mahsi.

This could be an opportunity where we look at the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative. This has been an initiative that we have in all regions. We’ve heard so many possible solutions and opportunities in the Beaufort-Delta as well. We’re going to start implementing that, and this could increase in certain programming as well.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Our department does not purchase buses directly but we do provide contributions to the school boards. For this matter it would be the Beaufort-Delta Department of Education, for which we provide funding. Whether it be for transportation, it all depends on the community size and the enrolment. The decision strictly lies with the DEA and DEC on where they want to allocate funding, whether it be custodial or administration or the teachers or the busing. Some of the organizations, when they receive contributions from our department, set aside approximately 5 or 3 percent...

Yes, most definitely we will be raising our concerns. As the Premier has met with the Prime Minister and Miltenberger met with the Finance Minister, both are discussions we continue to have with the federal Ministers to raise our concerns.

There is ongoing discussion with the federal counterparts, with our colleagues out there, and we do stress our concerns as well. But at the end of the day, the decision is the federal decision, and again, we have to be prepared for the decision that will come down and if we need to make changes to our policy, then we definitely need to look at those that will impact the two-year span that we’re talking about from 65 to 67. Again, we will monitor the decision that is coming down from the federal government. Mahsi.

We do assist through our Department of Education, Culture and Employment those individuals who walk in the door. If there are questions, we assist with them in that respect. I will definitely provide that information that we can provide to the Member.

I don’t have the actual number of who all applied, but I do have the 35 who were approved. Mahsi.

I’m sure, as the Member indicated, he watches Northbeat, and I’m sure he reads the newspaper as well. It’s all over the newspaper as well. We also promote that on our website. We advertise across the Northwest Territories newspapers. We provide presentations to the general public and special interest groups. There have been promotional items being presented to the general public on the Nominee Program since 2009. We’re not into the second year. There has been some uptake in this program. We’ll continue to monitor it.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The Nominee Program was agreed upon in 2009 and then implemented from there. We are into a three-year program now. In 2010-2011 we’ve had just over 30 applicants, I do believe – just under 50 and we are entitled to 150 per year. So we are earmarking 2012 again for another 150 nominations from CIBC. So it’s been quiet in this area, but there are applications that are coming in, and 28 have been approved for the critical impact worker category and seven for the skilled workers category. So there are 35 nominee applications that have been approved and are in the system. We are...

Yes, there is. Again, our overall goals and objectives of this government have highlighted those community employments as a priority for us. Not only that, but through my Department of Education, Culture and Employment we have a Labour Market Agreement that we provide training and services to the small communities and we’ll continue to do that. There is a training opportunity in that manner, in that fashion. Not only that, again reiterating the partnerships we have with the communities, with the mining industries, we do have a quarterly meeting with the industry representatives as well. We...