Jackson Lafferty

In due time could mean tomorrow, next week. It’s up to the organization to provide that information. Once they provide that information, I will be sharing it with the Members.

I would also take that into serious consideration, because we have to deal with early childhood matters. The programming that we currently deliver, as you know, there are always changes that occur in different programming and different policies. As I stated, there is a review undertaken so we’ll closely monitor that, and if we need to make changes as we listen to the Members’ concerns, it will reflect on that as well. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, that is the very reason why we’re doing this initiative. Concern was raised by the parents, the community members, the leadership, the educators in the communities, all communities of the Northwest Territories. That’s when the Aboriginal student achievement has been undertaken. That’s been identified where the students’ attendance is an issue and the quality of education has been brought to our attention as well. There is a strategy that’s been developed through the action oriented coming from the people of the Northwest Territories. It’s not my department saying this is good for...

Mr. Chair, those services will be based on an application basis. We haven’t identified the communities yet. We’re still waiting for applications to be submitted, so we are just waiting. Mahsi.

Mr. Chairman, the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative, as you know, is still a working document. We are still visiting two more regions. There may have been a shift to focus on literacy for community library coordinator and libraries in the communities. It is based on the input that we received from the general public. We are moving forward on the recommendations. It is not us as a department saying this is what is good for the communities. Next year it could be in a different format. It could be early childhood that we need to focus on.

Mr. Chairman, once we started the initiative, we...

The information I have is that the recommendations that were brought to our attention, some of those recommendations will be covered through this budget process. The others will also be covered in next year’s budget as well. What the Member is specifically highlighting is also an area that we’ll need to monitor as well. So some of the aspects of the detailed information on the recommendations will be part of this budget that’s before us. Mahsi.

Mr. Chair, I agree with the Member; I think that this is a given that we need to consult with those organizations that are involved. Definitely, we will be consulting with them as well. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We do provide funding to the district education council which flows down to the district education authority. They decide which staff they’re going to be hiring. I’m not in a position to say you should hire these positions. We gave them the authority to do that. We empowered the DEA to make those decisions, the DECs. I have to respect their decision. If there are issues or concerns that the Member is raising that information should be shared with the DEA and DECs, I will do my part as ECE to share the Member’s concern with the local school board.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. We have been working with, of course, Fort Simpson, the community, and we have developed some options. We’re also waiting for them to get back to us, I guess, on those options, but we’ll continue to work with that.

With respect to the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative of $600,000, it’s to provide public library services as an ASA Initiative shifting its focus, of course, to literacy, and the investment will be used for a new community library coordinator and to fund five more school community libraries. That’s in the area that has been allocated. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. That $400,000 did go to the schools in the communities.