Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, there are a lot of important comments that have been initiated here that we will certainly continue to work with. In the Sahtu region, of course, the high school grads have been brought to our attention. We do provide tools for the students to continue on with their high school and also post-secondary. There are other options that are available to the students that we’ve talked about in the past, but we will continue to provide the funding to the school boards in that respective region and other regions as well.

At the same time, Mr. Chair, there is a concern about...

I was just chatting with my colleague here. Yes, the health centres do provide those services. Not only that, within the early childhood space the Member is referring to, capacity, we do have the capacity. If not, then the funding that’s been identified is available to organizations that would like to maybe open up a space in that area. Yes, there is a collaboration and cooperation by Health and Social Services and our Department of Education, Culture and Employment on providing more services in this area.

Mr. Chairman, we will have a good streamline process as we move forward. As indicated, this is an area of interest to me and also concern. There has been some work on the way. We have identified a couple of positions that we highlighted; aboriginal student coordinator. That initiative will deal with this matter at hand as well. We want to have a mechanism in place where most of the money expended to the regions, but at the same time there are unique circumstances that are beyond our control at times.

Mr. Chairman, as a department we will do our best to fully utilize the funding that is...

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. I have with me the deputy minister, Dan Daniels, to my left, and, to my right, Paul Devitt, director of strategic investment services. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The Early Childhood Program delivery is, of course, our first priority as a government and also with my specific department of Education, Culture and Employment. I do not have the breakdown of what the Member is referring to as a deficit, but we are investing more money, as you know, within the budget that will be before us and that we’ll be discussing further on the huge investment that we’re allotting for that particular area of early childhood. So we’ll continue to invest in those areas, because this is a prime example of a worthwhile investment into a system.

Mr. Chair, the library issue has been brought to our attention. We had the discussion with the superintendent of the Dehcho Divisional Education Council and there was supposed to be a meeting set up this month in the community. There has been talk about the school, the Thomas Simpson and Bompas Elementary School to accommodate a library program. So they do have the capacity right now. Those are the discussions. There is talk about structural engineering submission for review on both schools and the location of it. So, Mr. Chair, there is supposed to be a meeting scheduled and we’ll certainly...

Mr. Speaker, for those letters that we receive, it’s not only one letter; there are other letters that could be in the millions of dollars of requests for big projects. They are all important projects and we can’t pick one from one region versus another region. That’s why we have the language groups that deal with the funding that’s been allocated to them. So, Mr. Speaker, I will continue to work with the language groups.

Like I said, we are reviewing the overall structure of how we allocate funds. There is always room for improvement on how we can provide those services more effectively and...

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we are clearly listening to the Member and I appreciate the persistence that he’s been pushing forward. We are seriously going to consider this school for next year’s budget planning cycle. Mahsi, Mr. Chair.

Surely I can share the information that we have within North Slave Correctional Centre on the number of positions, the percentage and whatnot. But I did meet with the MLA and the individual that he’s referring to and I would encourage the individual to continue applying, because now we’re having seven positions that are currently open for transfer. Fifty-seven percent, or four positions, will be for aboriginal people. There is a great opportunity there to be identified. Those individuals who are interested need to work with our system as well. Either take the day shift and night shift combined...

Mr. Chair, those are the avenues that we need to work. Not only that, but the federal government, we’ve invited two federal Ministers to come before us, because they need to realize that this is an important factor. So we’re hoping that there will be some commitment. We are getting some funds from them at this point in time, but the funding will be increased, of course. But we will continue to pressure them. Mahsi.