Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I listened to the Ministers’ statements earlier today and I was impressed that the three Ministers -- Housing, Health and Social Services, and Education -- actually broke their silence on board reform.
Finally.
Finally. I think it’s about time that they stood up and are held accountable for their support of this Board Reform Initiative. I want to begin by asking the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment if he’s not going to defend the interest of the DEAs that are out there, the school boards, the parents, and the children in our Territory, who else is going to defend their interests at that Cabinet table?
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Certainly in my role as the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment I will be defending my department on a moving-forward basis, making sure that programs are not impacted. We are going to continue with the program delivery in all schools, all 33 communities that we serve.
The next question I have for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment is I would like to know who wrote his Minister’s statement today. Was it his department or was it the Refocusing Government committee?
---Interjection
Cheap shot.
I do have staff in my department that I monitor and work closely with. Even though they write the Minister’s statements for me, I go through it and do a double check. It’s not board reform that wrote the statement for me.
That’s good to know. In speaking to educators around the Territory, DEAs, school boards, and anyone, for that matter, people are having trouble understanding why the government is insistent in moving ahead with the Board Reform Initiative. By throwing education in with health, social services and housing we’re taking a huge gamble on our future. Our future is the children of this Territory. I’m wondering why the Minister is willing to gamble the future of our Territory and the children here in the Territory by supporting an initiative like this board reform. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, maybe the Member looked at it as gambling, but we look at it as cost efficiency and an effective way of operating. Just moving forward, we are compiling information. No decision has been made to date. That message needs to be clear. When April 1st comes along, that is the date that we will compile information and decide if we are going to move forward or not. The Members will be involved as well through the standing committee and the decision-making they will be involved in. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The last question for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I am wondering if, as the Minister of Education, he has heard from any school board, DEA, or educator across this Territory that is in support of the current initiative underway by this government. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, we are receiving a lot of comments, issues and feedback on this moving-forward basis. The understanding is, yes, there needs to be a change, but what kind of change we don’t know. I could say that there is support for change but the end product still will be seen after April 1st. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
