Wendy Bisaro

Thank you very much for that, and my apologies, my brain seems to be slowing right down here or maybe it’s slower than it was before. I wanted to ask one more question with regard to inclusive schooling funding just to see if I can try and understand the situation here.

Yesterday, I believe, I was advised that the amount for inclusive schooling is changing to reflect changes in enrolment, if Hansard is correct. So if I’m to understand the answer from Mr. Devitt we are now tying inclusive schooling funding to enrolments. So maybe I could get a clarification as to whether or not that...

Thank you, I’m aware that the enrolments have gone down. Do we know how much, please?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I wanted to ask a couple of questions with regard to the numbers that are on page 10-17. There is what I think is a very large increase in education operations and development on that page. It goes from $1.5 million to $3.5 million. Could I get an explanation of what this $2 million is buying us? Thank you.

Thanks to the Premier. I know that he’s mentioned that he would come to Members. I’m not so sure that this requires the approval, so to speak, of Members. I think to reach out to NGOs is something that could be done without letting us know, but I don’t know we need to give you the approval to do that. I will be tabling a list of the anti-poverty supporters later on this afternoon, so that will give the government a list to work from.

A number of years ago the government established a Coalition Against Family Violence. In my estimation, it’s been a very successful coalition and the actions that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Premier. I mentioned in my Member’s statement that I had been holding a Christmas present for him for some time and that I had given that to him today at noon. I thought it was pretty nice too. Now that the Premier has his Christmas present, or that the Legislative Assembly has the Christmas present -- because it is addressed to all of us -- I would like to ask the Premier if he could advise us, and I mean Members and also the representative of the presenters of the present, what he will do with his or our present now that he has...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier today I presented the Premier with a belated Christmas present, one that I had been safekeeping for him. In December of last year, in the absence of any Members of the Executive Council, I accepted a present from a group of people, people representing social organizations in Yellowknife and the NWT as a whole. This informal alliance of 14 organizations had come to the Legislative Assembly to give the Legislative Assembly a Christmas present, a gift of past reports which detail the causes and effects of poverty in the NWT, and they asked for only one...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]

Mr. Speaker, it may be a little early to start talking about a capital project, but there is an unequal situation in one of our schools in Yellowknife, one which must be corrected. Ecole Allain St-Cyr provides French first-language schooling for students from kindergarten to grade 12, and because of dedicated parents, teachers and board members -- which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year -- has grown from a single portable at Sissons School site in 1989, with only nine students, to the opening of their own building on their own...

That was kind of clear as mud. I guess if I understood correctly, it’s now being tied to students within an authority as opposed to being tied to a percentage of costs within the authority’s budget. I didn’t fully understand how this dollar amount is being determined. Secondly, is the dollar amount that is going to individual authorities going down this year for inclusive schooling? Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, thanks for the answer to the Minister. I just would like to suggest that, when this is being investigated, when it is being looked at, the Minister and the department seriously consider the effect the lack of school counsellors has on students in schools, particularly high schools and their inability to actually fully understand the impact that particular course will have on their post-secondary education. The Minister full well knows it has been an issue that has come out a fair bit in the last several months. I think if there is an opportunity for us to train school counsellors...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a couple of questions on this section. I would like to first off state that I am -- and I have mentioned it in my comments earlier -- very pleased to see that there is an increase in the funding to arts and culture. It is the way that we should be going. I am very glad to see that the department continues to increase the funding in this particular area.

I have a concern with the early childhood and family literacy funding. It is a strategic initiative, I believe, in this particular section of the budget. I am glad to see that we are increasing the funding for...