Norman Yakeleya

Mr. Chair, I want to ask the Minister through working with the Board of Governors if they would work with high schools in small communities to implement a trade program in the school. I know the school in Tulita is working hard to see if they can get some funding. It’s over $100,000 to do a small trades program in Chief Albert Wright School. They are having a hard time to fundraise. Aurora College has a trades program. I wonder if that’s something that the Board of Governors and this Minister could look at creatively in conjunction with high schools that want to have trade programs in their...

Mr. Chair, I want to ask the Minister, on page 10-19 again, on the NWT Teachers’ Association Professional Development Fund. When is the government set to have another Collective Agreement negotiation with them?

It’s very disturbing to know that two communities in my riding have to look for alternative funding for what Tulita, Deline and Fort Good Hope receive base funding for. Two other communities that operate Arctic College programs have to look at alternative funding. Why can’t they receive base funding like any other community that receives base funding? Why the special treatment for the two communities?

Thank you. No argument from me to see the importance of this orientation for the teachers coming to the Northwest Territories. My point is that the NWTTA, I’m thinking why take money out of the Aboriginal pot? I think that should be done under the Collective Agreement in their professional development, because it’s just as important as some of the programs they have to take throughout the year to increase their skill or their ability to teach and using the computers or writing or reading or anything. You don’t see them taking money elsewhere. So I think we could have been stronger with the...

Okay. Thank you.

So where do we find the funds so all the teachers in the North can take a few days to learn about the specific cultures in that specific community so they get a better sense of who the children are in the community, where they are working and who the people are? Shouldn’t this be part of their Collective Agreement? Where is the money coming from?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services a question on the proposal by Fort Good Hope in terms of the proposal that they put forward on a prevention and health promotion worker in Fort Good Hope. The Minister and I had a visit to Fort Good Hope. The proposal was drafted and given to her and the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I want to ask the Minister what is the status in terms of that proposal.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to speak in support of a request from the community of Fort Good Hope that the government reinstates the position for prevention and health promotion worker in the community.

Chief Arthur Tobac, the chief of K’ahsho Got’ine Band, believes that the lack of programs and services to support parents and young people in Fort Good Hope is holding the students back. He was very appreciative of the leadership taken by the Culture and Education department Minister at the Minister’s forum on Aboriginal achievement and education and at the Department of Health...

Mr. Chair, I want to ask the Minister about the diabetic program and the community programs for the Sahtu and the funding that’s going into our communities for diabetic educational prevention, treatment programs. Is the department increasing their funding as diabetes is increasing in my region and would we see a Sahtu home-grown diabetic program in the years to come? Right now our program is offered, I believe or I think, in Yellowknife and Inuvik and they’re administrating this program. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I’ve listened over the years and listened to a number of Members’ statements, listened to the government’s position on high school graduates in our small communities, especially in our small communities, Mr. Speaker. In 2009 the Northwest Territories-wide graduation rate was 53 percent. For smaller communities it was at 38 percent, Mr. Speaker.

Knowing these numbers, we are doing a disservice to our smallest communities, especially the students. Most of those who graduate, Mr. Speaker, too many of them have to go back to Aurora College...