Déclarations dans les débats
The Minister had mentioned workshops. I’m very curious if the Minister -- sorry, in this particular case the Premier -- has the Premier on this particular subject had people identify certain positions, whether they’re in policy or programming, that should take gender-based analysis? To reflect that, as I understand it, the courses or workshops have been cancelled going forward. Is this initiative stalled, or been stopped completely?
Thanks. I appreciate the Minister’s perspective on this particular subject. I’m having a difficult time understanding what the motivating factors are. I hear his point, it didn’t go past me, which is $6 is probably, in some cases, for some people six more dollars than they have. But that said, I mean, I’m just not hearing perhaps what the Housing Corporation does to monitor and manage. I mean, if somebody had an 800 kilowatt bill one month, I mean, what would the department do? By and large would they just pay it and, of course, the person would now pay $48 that month for a power bill, or do...
The problem with the Aboriginal Student Achievement Program, although it’s a fantastic program, it doesn’t fit all the students. I’m talking about programming that school boards can offer for all students.
We have schools that are presently taking on this role of junior kindergarten and I think it’s a significant advancement of the education of a young person and giving them the right start. Would the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment investigate the opportunities on a proposal basis trying some pilot projects of funding junior kindergarten?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess my recognition of visitors in the gallery will sound a little bit like déjà vu thanks to Ms. Bisaro. I too would like to recognize Mr. Ed Jeske. He’s a very well-known and wise, respected constituent. Accompanying him, as Ms. Bisaro had mentioned, is the lovely and charming Vivian Squires, who has just returned as the executive director to the YK seniors. Welcome to them both.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too will be voting in favour of this particular motion. I believe if you listen very carefully to the membership here, the Members all speak in favour of the motion and you’ll notice, listening carefully, that you’ll hear the strong support for the Mine Training Society in that there is acknowledgement for the work that they have done over the many years.
I truly believe in supporting educational opportunities that support Northerners, allowing them to get on their own feet. It’s almost like a helping hand as opposed to a help out, an education, as I’ve always seen it...
Mr. Speaker, I am glad to hear the Minister say 100 percent he supports those students, so I guess it would be a very clear answer if I asked a question. Does that mean the department is going to work towards funding these students? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to go back to questions for the Minister of Education regarding early education opportunities. I am concerned that the Minister is missing my point. He does talk about the Aboriginal student achievement program that is focused in on helping Aboriginal youth. I want to make sure that it is crystal clear, I absolutely support that program and I think that is a great beginning for lifelong learning. Mr. Speaker, my concern falls on sort of the broader policy of how we help students at the age of four in the early education program, the junior kindergarten. Mr...
The Minister keeps pointing at the Aboriginal Student Initiative but it doesn’t fund non-Aboriginal students. I’m referring to junior kindergarten for all students. I see them as all students that we should give a good chance to at the beginning of their early education years. Does the Minister, in his leadership of the Department of ECE, see a way that all students could be funded under this initiative, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talked about early childhood education. UNESCO says early childhood education is defined by the years of birth to eight years old. They believe that it makes a remarkable difference on the brain development of young people if early education is offered early in the beginning of school years, before the traditional time of grades 1 to 4.
I would like to ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment what his government and department can do to help support schools that wish to offer junior education programs.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to speak about the importance of early education and how I believe that ECE should support junior kindergarten in our future years.
The GNWT has two strategic initiatives in this area. One provides funding for the languages initiatives that supports local language programming for preschool children and the second provides some assistance to regions to assist early childhood providers. In Yellowknife, preschool programs and preschool bilingual programs are offered on a fee base. There is also a program at the Yellowknife Catholic Schools for children...