Jackson Lafferty

With any pilot project that’s been undertaken in the past we’ve always reviewed the program, how successful it’s been or if there are areas for improvement, and then taken into consideration as we move forward if we need to reintegrate that into our business planning cycle. If it’s been successful, let’s look at it; if not, then there’s room for improvement. This is an area that has been earmarked for discussion. As a pilot project, we’ve done the pilot project for a year and we’re here now. It’s sunsetting but, as the Member is indicating, maybe the program should be reviewed. As I stated...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We just went through the budget process and it’s been approved by this Assembly. Every year we go through the business planning cycle. I’m sure this Food First Program will be before us again once we go through the process.

I must highlight that there are programs available as well, as I indicated, on the Healthy Food for Learning. There is upwards of $380,000 that’s been dispersed to all schools. Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative to focus on absenteeism and attendance, this is an area that’s been discussed as well. We have over $30,000 in that respect. There is...

Mahsi. This is a foremost priority for our Justice department, whether it be at the national level or the territorial level. At any federal, provincial or territorial Ministers meeting, serving the small communities without RCMP detachments is always on the agenda. I assure the Member that we’ll continue to do that because we’re quite unique in the Northwest Territories versus other provincial jurisdictions and geographically our remoteness, travelling to the communities by charter plane. So, Mr. Speaker, this is a priority for our government, priority for my department as the Justice...

Mahsi. Those are the areas where we need to work with the community, such as Tsiigehtchic, what kind of service that can be provided at the community level. RCMP “G” Division comes into the community and they do have an overnight facility, but it only has one bed in there. So that creates some challenges when we have to have two officers in the community. But at the same time, we as the GNWT work with “G” Division as well to identify those key aspects of what’s required at the community. So we’ll continue to work with the Member and the community to identify those key areas. Mahsi.

The program is sunsetting the end of the month. As I stated, with any pilot program initiative that’s been undertaken, there’s a need for re-evaluating the program if it’s been successful. Discussion comes forward after that. As we move forward to the business planning cycle, this I’m sure will be a topic of discussion as well.

I, again, indicated that the schools are receiving funding. With our budget that’s been approved, it has been allocated to various different programs in the schools. The majority of our funding also goes to the school boards and they decide where the money should be distributed, based on their interest in the students, the teachers, the programming. The school boards can also decide on the various areas that they can allocate funding. If it’s going to be towards the Food First Program, then it’s at their discretion to work with that. There are other program dollars that we have identified and...

The funding that we provide to the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative covers areas of student attendance or provides incentives for those students who are returning to school. This Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative is still a working document that we are collecting input from different regions. So we can definitely have a discussion in this area. We still have two forums to attend and we’ve attended four other forums. We cover a vast variety of different programs that we offer. The Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative is attendance-based. These students we’re talking about...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Obviously, our focus is on the students, the well-being of our students to be well educated in our educational system. We provide as much resources or funding as we possibly can through the district education councils or district education authorities. So we will continue to provide those services and we are already seeing results from those students who are graduating in the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, obviously, we want the same thing too, for our kids to be educated throughout the Northwest Territories. We’re 100 percent behind that as well. These students are under the status of the Beaufort-Delta Education Council. Whether it be Sachs Harbour or Inuvik students, the money that they receive is for those students that are primary residents of Sachs Harbour school or Inuvik. We need to work with the Beaufort-Delta Education Council. As I stated before, the funding is allocated to them and we need to work with that. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Our department will do what it can to safeguard all the students that are in schools throughout the Northwest Territories. The Sachs Harbour students that are going through the residence system in Inuvik, that falls under the Beaufort-Delta District Education Council, so we will be working closely with them as the Department of Education. Mahsi.