Tom Beaulieu

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that the Chair rise and report progress.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Again, the way the legislation is written, if you go to what is being proposed in the act right now, in order for the Minister to reject the nominated area, he or she would have to put it in writing. It doesn't have to be put in writing to accept a nominating committee, so in effect, following this legislation would say that, once the nomination is made and the Minister does not reject it, it is accepted.

This actually puts more restrictions. The new recommendation actually puts more restriction in. Number one, it makes it within 90 days. Number two, it has both...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I may have read this backwards. We will consider the committee report first. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to acknowledge Eileen Erasmus. Eileen has dedicated nearly 20 years to the K'alemi Dene School and to education in the Northwest Territories. She has taught almost every grade and has been an integral part of the growth of K'alemi Dene School. Eileen has demonstrated a consistent commitment to her students, and they know this and can feel it. Former students describe her as an amazing individual, who has been a strong role model for the next generation. On behalf of the people from Ndilo, thank you, Eileen.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to have item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery; item 6, acknowledgements; and item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters, dealt with as the next matters on the orders of the day. Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I am going to make a Member's statement on some of the work that we were doing in Committee of the Whole last Tuesday. Last Tuesday, I felt I was unable to communicate clearly enough to be able to get some answers. I am going to talk a bit about what I saw on Tuesday, much to my surprise and shock, the way that the mandatory or compulsory attendance for junior kindergarten and kindergarten works in the schools. My understanding, initially, before Tuesday, was that once a five-year-old, four-year-old student got to go to junior kindergarten and they had enrolled, at the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, assuming that the education system is beginning to engage students who are four and five years old, I'd like to ask the Minister if students four and five years old who don't register need to have a viable alternative?

There is no requirement for anyone under six to register, but my question is: if they choose to register at four and five, at that point, the registration is out of the way, are they treated like all other students insofar as attendance goes?

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize our interpreters, Maro Sundberg and Tommy Unka. Mahsi.

I am still not clear on, once the person does register, whether or not they have to attend school. I am going to ask the question a little bit differently. How does the funding work? If you have students who are JK and K in your school, I am assuming that it is a per capita funding for students. How does that work? If they register, but don't attend, are they counted in the funding?