Caitlin Cleveland

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I commit to working with education bodies to understand how I can support their needs to improve attendance across the territory. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, different education bodies have used different tactics because they see their challenges as being unique in communities across the territory. Many of our well, all of our schools have food programs to try and incentivize youth to come to school for that reason. Some education bodies send busses around the communities to pick students up from their home and bring them to the school. And, of course, teachers have come up with unique ways to try and incentivize attendance in schools and that could be anything from choosing subjects that are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was 22 years old when I learned I would soon welcome my first child. I was excited, anxious, eager for the journey to come, but was also terrified because I couldn't keep a plant alive and would soon be trusted to raise a human. And so on the 6th day of the 6th month of the 6th year at 6 minutes to 9:00, I met Action Jackson. I was in awe of him. He was fiercely independent, terrifyingly fearless, relentlessly curious, and oh so sweet. This past weekend, that baby graduated high school.

As we stood for a family photo, him in his cap and gown, he stretched...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can confirm to the Member that this is a holding topic at meetings with the education bodies, with the chairs, across the territory and is frequently discussed. Mr. Speaker, I can also confirm for the Member that this is something that is very important to me because we can it doesn't matter how much money we invest in education, if students around attending school then we cannot improve our education outcomes as a territory. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, attendance has long been a concern for education bodies across the territory and have put in different mechanisms to try to address attendance over the years, but as the Member stated in her statement today, there is definitely a huge concern for attendance across the territory in today's world as well. And so this is really a situation and a challenge that is going to have to be addressed not only by teachers, principals, education bodies, but by communities as a whole and by a territory as a whole. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, art is powerful, and art is beautiful, but it is far more than a thing of beauty. Art is a personal, local, and global connector. It connects people to themselves, to one another, and to people living across the world. Further, it connects us to culture, land, and elders and it is critical to our wellbeing and to our shared and individual histories. Art is a conduit of healing. Art is foundational to how we educate our children, preserve traditions, feed community wellness, and build a strong and independent territory.

The arts sector plays a valuable role in the NWT, not only for...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I took that as a comment. I didn't hear a question from the Member.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I'm very happy that Members have been so vocal in the House about the use of this program and how successful, or how reliant I should say, seniors and elders are. I think it's really important that everybody have the opportunity to hear what is working for residents and what is not. And so I'm very thankful to Members that they've shared that this is definitely something that is needed.

The reason that you see the difference of just over $500,000 between the revised estimates for 20232024 and the main estimates for 20242025 is that due to the increase...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, my commitment to my colleagues was that when Aurora College does come forward with a suitable and ready proposal, that I would then bring that forward to my Cabinet colleagues. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, those regulations are still in development. And so they go through a process where they are we work closely with the Department of Justice to do that. And then before they can go public for consultation sorry, engagement, they must be translated. And so that's the part of the process that we are in right now. And so as soon as the translation is complete, then those will be available for public engagement. Thank you.