Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I hearken back the House’s attention to Committee of the Whole on Tuesday, May 29, last year. I had asked the Minister clearly, on the record, about possibly delivering support to school districts so they can teach their students, grades 9, 10, 11, 12, First Aid, by giving them the resources and empowering them to do this. There is an interest at the school level.
The response from the Minister on the record is that that’s something that they need to explore. It’s getting close to a year. What has the Minister found out on this particular question? Of course, these are obviously going to the Minister of Education. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. These are part of courses that are being delivered throughout the communities. It’s not really part of the schools. Some of the schools are currently delivering these modules, the First Aid and CPR, so we encourage those individual students that are willing to take First Aid and CPR training, because a lot of them are being delivered in the communities. Whether it be through various training, heavy equipment or other training that’s happening in the community, they always provide WHMIS or First Aid or CPR training that’s happening.
That’s what we’ve found out from our research into the communities. That is what is being delivered as part of a training package within the communities.
I swear the Minister’s reading the same paper that I am, because his answer is almost identical to what he said back on May 29, 2012. I’m not sure what WHMIS and heavy duty equipment has to do with grades 9, 10, 11 and 12. I’m talking about building it into the school curriculum through their normal programming. I’ve had a number of teachers say that they’d like this.
What’s holding the Minister back from having a real dialogue that talks about delivering resources to schools so they can hire, for example, St. John Ambulance to deliver this training or even train within, to have instructors that do this?
When I talk about WHMIS and other training that’s happening in the community, there is always training happening in various communities and it does relate to First Aid and CPR as well. That’s what I was referring to.
Within our education system, currently there is no mandated requirement for students to take First Aid training. However, various boards and various schools are offering First Aid and CPR, and I commend them for that as well. At the same time, there is nothing stopping school boards or the schools to deliver that training, that First Aid and CPR. Like I said, it’s always happening at the community level. There is always training that’s pertaining to safety.
I’ve heard community so many times here today. I’m not talking about community; I’m talking about all education boards. That means all of them, not just one in particular. There is no mandate and, therefore, there is no technical support from the Department of ECE which can further support all education boards.
The Minister is correct; a few offered to a very few students. All students deserve this skill. What can the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment do to ensure this type of mandate and support gets out there to all our students and all our school boards from his department? What is he willing to do?
When I say communities, I’m talking about 33 communities that we service here in the Legislative Assembly. My department services eight school boards within the Northwest Territories, so I work closely with them.
Again, there are schools out there that are delivering First Aid and CPR and they continue to do that. When I say community, whether it be Yellowknife, whether it be Tsiigehtchic and a small community, you know, there are always, like, these different, various training programs from agencies that come in to deliver those programs. We, as a department, will continue to work with them and provide assistance in every fashion that we can, and produce those highly qualified people with safety standards. We do encourage those students to take advantage of those safety programs that are happening, whether they be in the schools or in the communities.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s clear the Minister is confused. He’s not the Minister of community. He is the Minister of Education, and that’s what I keep trying to say. It’s about mandate. There is no mandate; therefore, there is no support at the board level and at individual schools.
Would the Minister of Education be willing to expand the mandate and support the schools and the school boards who would like to deliver this program, because teachers tell me it’s a critical skill and there are youth that would like to learn this. It’s not a community-based program. It’s a school-based program I’m asking for.
If the school boards feel that it’s a critical part of the safety program, then they can deliver that in the schools. We provide annual funding to the school boards based on enrolment. So we will continue to support the school boards, the eight school boards that we have, and 33 communities. I must emphasize that I am Minister responsible for 33 communities, not only one school, so I have to be responsible for all 49 schools. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
