Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a few questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Mr. Speaker, over the last, I believe, year and a half, junior kindergarten has raised a lot of concerns either through the Aboriginal Head Start program, daycare programs throughout the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, I did ask the Minister this question last month during our business plans, but I'd like to ask them again. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister how will junior kindergarten affect the funding of the Aboriginal Head Start program? If it does, can the Minister explain it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Implementation of the Junior Kindergarten Program, as we're looking to implement in 2017-18, will have no impact on the funding for Aboriginal Head Start program. The Aboriginal Head Start program is a federally funded program. We also fund Aboriginal Head Start through our Early Childhood Programs. In 2015-16, we funded the programs to the total of 260,000 additional dollars on top of the federal funding that they get, and it's forecasted that we'll have $285,000 to the eight Aboriginal Head Start programs throughout the Northwest Territories. So from our standpoint as we're implementing it and just to ensure everyone and remind everyone that junior kindergarten is an optional program. So moving forward, junior kindergarten implementation will not affect the funding from the federal government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I realize this is a federal funding for the program, but would the Minister have any idea why the three workers that are in Fort McPherson, for example, have a three-month contract for Head Start? Is that just some of the guidelines that they follow? If the Minister could answer that, I'd appreciate it.
As I mentioned, Aboriginal Head Start is a federally funded program, so I think what we can do out of our department is reach out to our federal counterparts and see why it's only a three-month contract and can do that work on behalf of the Members to see why it's only a three-month program moving forward.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to that information. You know, as I mentioned, these three workers have recently all just got their certificates for Early Childhood and, you know, they're looking at hopefully a career and you know ongoing, you know, and to be cut short by this, we cannot allow this to happen, and I will just look forward to that information.
Masi. Okay, there's a comment. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.
