Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, then I would ask the Minister if that is consistent with any other type of post-secondary education here in the North. I think of programs like the Nursing Program, the Social Work Program, programs that offer the students the ability to take their training and graduate here in the Northwest Territories. That is a type of post-secondary training. Could you want to be a nurse and decide, at your own discretion, to take your training someplace outside of the Northwest Territories, even though it’s available here? Thank you.

Thank you. It’s good to see in our Chambers again, Mr. Speaker, Lydia Bardak who was gone for a while and she’s back and she’s a renowned social activist. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Zoe. Mr. Dent.

Agreed. Thank you. Page 9-19, education and culture, grants and contributions, grants, total grants, $52,000.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The other thing I wanted to question the Minister about is the formula funding that has been established for schools on a per-student basis and other things that are taken into account. Mr. Chairman, I’d like to ask the Minister when the formula funding was established. What year was it established in? When is the last time it was reviewed? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today we are attempting to shed some light on the challenges of affordable and accessible housing for northerners. Mr. Speaker, shelter is a basic necessity in life common to every person. In some circumstances, it is necessary for governments to become involved in meeting the needs of our people for adequate housing. As with everything we attempt to do, we are confined by fiscal realities. It is incumbent on us as legislators when developing programs, policies and investing in capital infrastructure, to ensure we balance the need for accountability with...

Thank you, Mr. Zoe. Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Page 9-17, activity summary, education and culture, operations expenditure summary, $136.110 million.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to touch on a few areas. I couldn’t swear I’m on the right page, but it seems like there’s a fair amount of latitude here. I’ve had a couple of letters from constituents who are interested in the NWT Literacy Strategy funding and these folks are both involved in adult literacy. They have communicated to me that this funding goes to a very good purpose and sees some very good results in our communities. I would like to ask the Minister for his commitment to Literacy Strategy funding and ask him if the budget for this item has been impacted by this year’s...

Thank you, Mr. Zoe. Mr. Dent.