Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]

Mr. Speaker, Aboriginal Languages Month is an opportune time to reflect on past successes and the work that lies ahead in continuing to promote, revitalize and preserve our nine official Aboriginal languages. We are all burdened by the truth that some of our Aboriginal languages are struggling, not because we are not doing enough to support them but because the challenges they face are complex.

Residential school and colonialism have left some deep scars behind and are largely responsible for Aboriginal people struggling to keep their...

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. This obviously has got a lot of attention, how we best expend our expenditure on to the school boards directly to the most in need, the students with special needs.

We did our part with the overall review. It is on our website as well. The review also told us that we should not make any changes to the general approach of inclusive schooling. There is a need to improve the accountability, the measures, increase educator training and a standardized approach of inclusive schooling practices across the NWT. This is an area that has been brought to our attention. We do have an...

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. The ALBE, when we did the review, there’s been a considerable discussion with various stakeholders and we want to get the actual feedback from the people in order to make the changes to our programming within the college, other organizations that deliver this core programming. So there’s been a lot of discussion in this area. What led to that is, obviously, part of the Skills for Success is another initiative that we’ve undertaken to deal with adults and post-secondary education and skills training program supports and also Pathways. That also includes the ALBE programming...

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. I have to my left, Deputy Minister Gabriela Eggenhofer. To my immediate right is Olin Lovely. He is assistant deputy minister of corporate services. To my far right is Dana Heide. He is associate deputy minister, Education, Culture and Employment.

Obviously, seeing the results, strengthening our working relations with our partners at the regional level, the stakeholders that we work with, obviously the success will depend on each group. So we’re doing what we can as a department to work with them. But at the end of the day, it’s just the results through monitoring, evaluation and accountability that will be in play with the Aboriginal governments, with the Aboriginal organizations and other organizations in the Northwest Territories. The communities need to determine their success as well. So, we’ll be monitoring that as well. Mahsi, Mr...

Yes, indeed there is. There has to be strict accountability when we provide public funding to any organizations in the Northwest Territories, not only Aboriginal governments or Aboriginal organizations. The organizations that we deal with, we want them to be accountable, whether it be reporting mechanisms, how the money is expended. There is monitoring, evaluating and also accountability, MEA that is currently in place with Aboriginal governments and Aboriginal organizations and other organizations, as well, throughout the Northwest Territories. It is an accountability mechanism that’s in play...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]

Mr. Speaker, I’d just like to recognize two of our Pages from Whati Community Mezi School. They are Caitlin Nitsiza and Rachel Simpson, along with chaperon, Louisa Nitsiza. I’d just like to say thank you for their services and all the Pages who are doing excellent work in this Assembly. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. There have been some changes within the Alberta educational system. As you know, we follow their curriculum and also the AATs. NWT has used grades 3, 6 and 9 AATs as a large-scale assessment since 2007. Alberta is embarking on their own educational renewal process. Obviously, they’re making some changes to the focus on student assessment. Because NWT is using AATs that are being phased out, we also need to decide whether we want to follow Alberta or have our own northern tool that we can use. We are still currently using AATs, I believe, in the Grade 3 area. This eventually...

We are moving this as quickly as we can. ALBE has been a challenge that was brought to our attention, even as far as Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative when we did the actual forum, listening to the educators, the adult educators. They’ve instructed us that we need to make some changes and we have done that. Based on the recommendations, this Skills for Success obviously will play a huge role in identifying the actual needs from the communities’ perspective and delivering core programs through the institutions, through the college campuses that we have. So these will be the tools that...

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. Since we’ve had some changes within the corporate sector, there’s been a very positive atmosphere within my department. Obviously, the office of the Auditor General also indicated that we should have some sort of changes within our financial sector, corporate services. So that’s one of the reasons why we have a new ADM within corporate services. I will get my deputy to elaborate a bit more in detail, Mr. Chair.