Julie Green

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I'd like to start by asking about changes in the business plan since we reviewed it in September. I notice, for example, that the reduction to the educational authority is a different number than is in the main estimates, so can the Minister describe the changes in the business plan from the time that it was introduced until its appearance here on the main estimates? Thank you.

Thank you very much, then. That $2 million increase, does that represent forced growth on the number of additional clients anticipated for the next fiscal year? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, could the Minister remind me what the Education Renewal Initiative says about reducing instructional hours? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, has the Minister given any consideration to actively recruiting people through the Nominee Program to come to the NWT given the value of having additional people here in the NWT? Thank you.

I am shocked that the Minister is not sure what the barriers are and that he didn't spend or have his department spend any time looking at what they are in order to understand why both graduation and enrolment rates fall off so dramatically over the period of time that the students are in the program.

Will the Minister commit to looking at these barriers so that he can make an informed decision to reinstate the program?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I need to sort some numbers out. I heard the Minister say that the increase was $200 million to income assistance. Could he confirm?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the research doesn't support that statement; there haven't been excellent improvements. Since the EDI was introduced, the measurement in every community size has decreased. So it seems to me that putting inclusive resources into schools as a priority is essential for children to succeed in education, so I'd like to hear the Minister's plan to do that? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, what additional resources does the department put in to the increased nomination program goal? When it goes from 80 to 100, what is the extra money that is being spent by the department to meet that goal? Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My questions are also for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. In my statement, I talked about the importance of training Northerners as social workers out of Aurora College. The program has been in place for 35 years, and some of those who completed the training when it began are still working in the field. My first question is: what kind of information and analysis on the low completion rates for the Aurora College Social Work Program have been used by the Minister in making the decision to cut the program? Thank you.

Okay. I think those are all my questions for now, Mr. Chair. Thank you.