Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. It’s very important that we highlight our veterans. Remembrance Day is fast approaching. These are areas that we need to continue to push into our school system, not only our school system but also our communities, the regional centres. We do have regional representatives and even those seniors that have been part of the process, if they can be visible in our community schools. There are some areas of activities and events that are happening in the various communities and the school systems. The Member is raising a really valid question that we must address with the board...

Mahsi. That is exactly what we’re doing; we’re promoting arts in the Northwest Territories, again, in partnership with Industry, Tourism and Investment. We are, as a department, collaboratively working diligently to implement the NWT Arts Strategy and Action Plan. Not only that but we’re also working with the NWT Arts Council for the whole Northwest Territories. They are our key partners in delivering those areas of interest for the Northwest Territories when it comes to arts delivery.

So, we’ll continue to play those partnerships and have ongoing dialogue with the departments of ITI and Public...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Those are just some of the areas of discussion that have been addressed through our department and through various venues, as well, even working with the NWT Arts Council, because we provide annual funding to them.

We, as a department, recognize that there are no dedicated public arts spaces or display in the Northwest Territories; however, there are many opportunities for art expression display in our schools and also in our communities. My department will continue to support the community-based arts and cultural organizations through partnership. Member Bromley addressed...

Mahsi. Those are the discussions that we need to have. I don’t have any information in front of me pertaining to this. My department needs to sit down with the school board and find out the details of the issues that may be before us. It’s not only our department but Public Works and Services that we have to work with when it comes to infrastructure. So that discussion needs to happen with the school board. Mahsi.

Once the review is completed, I would have to share that information with the standing committee, so that should be coming within the next coming months. Mahsi.

As I stated earlier, there are a variety of programs, subsidy programs that we provide to, whether it be training or small community employment programming. Not only that, there is a substantial amount of funding that we work with through the federal government, and that is Canada’s Job Fund. Those individuals that do not qualify for EI, those individuals, as the Member indicated, are in desperate need of sort of like a training that fall through the cracks. This particular program is geared towards that. Part of the focus of the federal government, obviously, is to train those individuals and...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The pre-employment program and other programs have been very successful to date. There have been some changes in programming. Right now we are looking at the employment success through adult and post-secondary education and skills training. Those types of programs that existed before will definitely be captured in part of our review process, because we are engaging the key partners and also the stakeholders in the Northwest Territories on how best to deliver this particular program. We are re-evaluating our position on these skills and training programs.

Mr. Speaker, one of the areas, obviously, is the Small Community Employment Program that has been established by this Assembly. It has been very successful to date. They’re providing funding to employers so they can hire those individuals who are interested in various skill set positions. Not only that but there is other programming, whether it be apprenticeship training programming.

I just signed off with the federal government, as well, on Canada’s Job Fund. The funding is available to the employers through my department to identify those individuals. Once they’re trained, they should have...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Yes, first and foremost, obviously, is to congratulate all those apprentices throughout the Northwest Territories. We are very proud of them, and obviously, we would like to see more of those individuals successfully completing apprenticeship certification and journeyman ticket holders. Part of specifically the training division, apprenticeship, is improving employment success through adult and post-secondary education and skills training. That area is being re-evaluated so we can capture four key areas of categories. That is to better understand the current and future...

Again, the infrastructure that we’re discussing here today, it is the ownership of YK1. They own these schools, aside from Sir John Franklin High School. The decision lies with YK1 to decide what to do with that infrastructure based on the feedback they get from the parents. I realize that enrollment is down. We, as the GNWT, continue to contribute to their O and M costs on an annual basis. We continue to do that.