Tom Beaulieu

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. Just shifting gears a little, but still along the human resources and priority candidates, I was wondering if the Minister could share preliminary results of the Priority 1, 2, and other students hired by the GNWT for the summer student program this year?

I would like to ask the Minister if the Minister will review the regional recruitment program to see if the regional recruitment program is being followed by the various departments, following the initial intent of the regional recruitment program.

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. On June 1, 2018, I made a Member's statement on the Affirmative Action Policy. Today, I will be making a similar statement.

Over the years, I have seen, both as a Regular Member and a former Minister of Human Resources, that our government has failed numerous Priority 1 candidates trying to get employment with the GNWT. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I am not convinced that our government is committed to increasing the number of Priority 1 employees that we employ in our departments, as per the Affirmative Action Policy.

Mr. Speaker, we need to have more Priority 1 candidates in...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. No wonder it doesn't work. I mean, no wonder it doesn't work. I mean, they enrol in school, and then they don't have to attend. That's very strange. My question was to be, when we're dealing with five-year-olds and four-year-olds who are in school, does the funding that's targeted in inclusive schooling also apply to four-year-olds and five-year-olds? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I don't understand what is so difficult about my question. I know that junior kindergarten and kindergarten is not compulsory. I know that the students can stay at home if they want to. I know that the parents don't have to enrol them in school if they don't have to. My question is, once they make the decision to enrol the four-year-olds and five-year-olds into school, into junior kindergarten and kindergarten, is it compulsory that they attend like everybody else from 1 to 12?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a real issue with that. I recognize that people have the option to put their children in junior kindergarten or kindergarten. Once they make the decision to go to junior kindergarten, or send their children to junior kindergarten or kindergarten, once they make that decision in September and the kid enrols in school, then the Minister is saying that kid can come and go as they please throughout the whole year; that, if they want to attend two or three days a month, that's still okay. I think we have to nail down that first before we start talking about even the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'd like to start off with a question for the Minister on junior kindergarten. Although junior kindergarten is not compulsive at this time, I was wondering if, when they do get into school and they are signed up, at that point does attendance become compulsory? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Previously, the GNWT had a program for emerging managers or emerging directors, a program that placed some Indigenous employees into higher positions. I would like to ask the Minister: how many Priority 1 candidates are enrolled or have been enrolled in the emerging managers or directors program?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member's statement, I spoke of the Affirmative Action Policy, indicating that I feel that Affirmative Action Policy is not working. I would like to ask the Minister of Finance questions on that. I will begin by asking the Minister of Finance if the Minister can get the department to look at other forms of preferential hiring processes as an alternative to affirmative action?