Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Towards the end of the 16th Assembly, I tabled the Aboriginal Student Achievement Education Plan. It was developed after a broad consultation and aimed to eliminate the education gap between Aboriginal and other students. I am pleased to say that Aboriginal education leaders endorsed the plan by signing the Education Partnership Declaration.

The plan lists the four priorities of the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative: early childhood and child care, family and student supports, Aboriginal language and culture curriculum and resource development, and literacy.

This...

We did just recently initiate our discussion with Beaufort-Delta Education Council, talking about recreating the partnership that we had. We had a very successful partnership. We need to re-establish that as part of our distance education within that region. I’m sure this will trickle along with other regions as well. There’s been a lapse in financial aspect towards this particular program, but we are re-addressing that issue and it is a huge opportunity for us that we need to continue discussing.

My department will share what we can share as a needs assessment, part of the capital projects within the Northwest Territories. Mahsi.

This particular school along with other schools, we continue to monitor them. It is based on the teachers in the community, the students, based on the population. If there is an increase in the student population, then we will definitely put that as a high pressing need for the Northwest Territories to be considered as part of the capital project. Yes, indeed, this is part of the process that we must continue to monitor. I understand the issues with the school capacity, so we will continue to monitor that as well. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize some of the people in this gallery, members of the Official Languages Board and Aboriginal Languages Revitalization Board here in Yellowknife this week as part of their board meetings. They are in the gallery joining us today. Vance Sanderson from Fort Smith, Emily Kudlak from Ulukhaktok, Lucy Lafferty from Behchoko, Georgina Biscaye from Fort Resolution, Margaret Leishman from Kakisa, Rosa Mantla from Behchoko, Elizabeth Hardisty from Fort Simpson, Nadine Koe from Yellowknife, Dora Grandjambe from Norman Wells, Wendy Mantla from...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank the Member for that question. This particular area is of great interest for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. We’ve initiated e-learning within the Beaufort-Delta and the Department of Education between 2000 and 2005. We had just over 329 students enrolled successfully at that time. Due to budget constraints in 2010, we had to discontinue that particular program. The good news is that we are continuing with our discussion again, because we feel that this is a real need. Now we talk about the fibre optic broadband connectivity into the...

When we met in Detah we talked about the goals and objectives of this government. We talked about our capital infrastructures. At that time there was discussion on focussing on the small communities. That is definitely one of our goals as we move forward with this particular GNWT 17th Assembly and when it comes to capital projects. With the 20-year plan, I have to get that more detailed information. I don’t have the plan in front of me today, but I will gather the information. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The Trout Lake school has been, as the Member stated, he is quite correct that it has been raised in this House. They have been part of the capital planning process along with other pressing matters that are before us within the Department of Education, Culture and Employment.

When we do the capital planning process, we compile the important issues such as one from Trout Lake and one from Nahanni Butte and other regions. It trickles down to which is the most pressing issue in the Northwest Territories. Based on that, the selection criteria is selecting those individual...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] I would like to say something. I want to say thank you to all our visitors. You have to say thank you very much. I am representing Monfwi region and I would like to say thank you to all the people in that region, and we also have to remember the people that we sit with. But I am also married; I have a wife and children. I would like to say thank you to all my family and also I would like to thank my mother and my father who are in the audience. I also have a lot of Tlicho citizens in the audience. So I would like to say thank you very much for their support.

I...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] I would also like to recognize some visitors in the gallery. My mother and father, who are Dora Marie and Maurice Lafferty, and my brother, and all the people who have supported me from Monfwi region. Also, there are a lot of Tlicho citizens from the Monfwi region. I would like to have them recognized in the gallery.