Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Thank you. What planning has occurred to begin to develop an all-season road to the community of Gameti by the Department of Infrastructure?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Infrastructure. Mr. Speaker, residents are concerned about ice roads given changing climate. How is the Department of Infrastructure currently mitigating the impacts of climate change on our winter and ice roads? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to talk about how climate change is impacting our ability to get fuel and other resources to our small communities. We have heard from the Member for the Sahtu about the emergency situation air freighting fuel has caused Norman Wells. In Gameti, the winter road system we currently use is vulnerable as well. Typically, Mr. Speaker, people can go back and forth to Gameti from January to March by driving the 213 kilometers winter road from Highway No. 3 near Behchoko. But last year with the short ice road season, optimal conditions on winter...

I want to ask the Minister what is the current wait time in the NWT for speech-language services and, specifically, for children in school and why they are still -- why they are vacant, why there are so many vacant positions in the NWT? Thank you.

Okay, well, that's what I was going to say is how many of those SLP positions are currently vacant and how many are filled? That was the next question, but if she can still answer.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, how many speech and language pathology services positions currently service preschool and school aged children in the NWT? Thank you.

Okay, thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, if our education outcome is improved in small communities, we would enjoy -- we would have -- our Indigenous students are going to -- that's the same -- that's what we want for our Indigenous students as well, if our education is improved in our small communities then they will have the same access and we will have a lot of our students in that field, in the doctorate, in a Master's program, you know, undergraduate degree. But in the meantime, I know what I'm doing here so -- okay, so I -- I'm going to get back to the report, yes.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I support this motion because it is clear that significant disparities exist between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students when it comes to educational outcomes at all levels in the education systems. We have seen this time and again through reports on outcomes, and we see it in our communities directly. The GNWT must study this problem properly. There's so many studies that exist regarding this already, and it's getting to be too much.

The Standing Committee on Social Development believes that students in small communities who show desire to pursue...

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I support this motion because a public commitment to guarantee continued reconciliation efforts like the removal of semester limits and increase access to student funding under the basic grant, it will help improve education outcome for Indigenous students. These commitments should be made in the same spirit as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's Calls to Action number 10 which highlights the need to:

Provide sufficient funding to close identified educational achievement gaps within one generation;

Improve education attainment levels and success...

Yes, Mr. Chair, I move that this committee recommends the Government of the Northwest Territories make a public commitment -- okay.