Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Madam Chair. We would like to continue consideration of Tabled Document 115-17(5), Northwest Territories Capital Estimates 2015-2016, with the Department of Natural Resources and the Legislative Assembly. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Minister I would say that reaching out and hearing and surveying is not an intention to make changes. I did not hear one word from the Minister that tells me that he has any intention of making any change to the programming.

I’d like to know from the Minister, he needs to tell me, he needs to tell us on this side of the House, what does he need to understand that changes to the Junior Kindergarten program will make it better? What can we put in front of the Minister to convince him that there needs to be some change going forward?

Thanks to the Minister. I have been listening to some of the words, and the Minister, earlier, said that he wants to hear the perspective of the people that are involved. My question to that is: Is he actually listening to what the people are saying to him?

He mentioned the teachers’ conference on social interaction, and this is an opportunity for him to hear from the people that are in the program. That is not an evaluation. What we need is an evaluation. I think he also mentioned the survey of schools that are currently doing Junior Kindergarten. A survey is not an evaluation. We need to have...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week we heard several Members’ concerns around the new Junior Kindergarten program which started in small community schools this fall. We’ve again heard from Mrs. Groenewegen today.

This year, in both the winter and spring sittings, Regular MLAs spoke out very strongly against beginning Junior Kindergarten without new funding. The Minister steadfastly refused to consider any suggestions for change, and he and the department forged ahead to implement the program at the start of this school year.

As with any new program or service rushed into implementation, problems...

That’s fine. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We would like to continue consideration of Tabled Document 115-17(5), Northwest Territories Capital Estimates 2015-2016, continuing on with Health and Social Services and then, time permitting, Justice and Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Thanks, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the Minister. I know it’s a large document; I’ve looked at it. I would like to know from the Minister, if he’s talking about consultation and he’s talking about making sure that everybody likes the document – there was huge debate the first time this came out – so who is the Minister going to be consulting with? Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister. He said that there were some attempts that were unsuccessful, but there was a very successful attempt and the Minister received the results of that successful attempt in January of 2012.

Last year, on February 26th, in 2013, in answer to my questions in the House, the Minister advised me that the report was about to be reviewed by the WSCC Board of Governors, and that then the Minister and the Minister responsible for WSCC in Nunavut were going to look at the report, and there would then be some decision, from what I gathered.

I’d like to ask the Minister, what were the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d also like to recognize the educators up behind me and the group of coroners who are here and welcome them to the House. I’d like to specifically mention Mr. Garth Eggenberger, a resident of Frame Lake, and if I’ve missed any other residents of Frame Lake, my apologies, and welcome.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that we report progress.

---Carried