Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Following up to my statement on nursing education and the TRC calls for action on how this preservation of Canada's history could be incorporated into the curriculum of the nursing program.
My first question is directed to the Minister of Education: how does Arctic College address the calls to action of Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Aurora College right now is Aurora College, not Arctic College. We kind of consider ourselves a five-partner arrangement in that we work with the University of British Columbia on three components and we also work with the University of Victoria. The University of Victoria has a pretty comprehensive policy around it, but, in saying that, we need to do more.
Once we are done the visioning exercise across the Northwest Territories to look at what our polytechnic university will look like and then that work is brought into the polytechnic university, we need to make sure that we have a strong policy around Indigenous languages and our Truth and Reconciliation.
Thanks to the Minister for that reply. It is good to know that there is progress made in preserving the knowledge of Canada's First Nations and Peoples. My next question: how does the Aurora College Bachelor of Science in Nursing program ensure TRC recommendations are integrated into the curriculum of the program?
I am not sure what the terminology was, but earlier today I had heard somebody say, sorry if I get it wrong, but, basically, that our nursing program is a cornerstone of Aurora College. I agree that the nursing program is an example of what we should be doing and what we can be doing. The nursing program actually is one of the leaders on bringing in our Truth and Reconciliation. Things that they do: right now, it is reviewed regularly, on an annual basis, to make sure that we are taking in the Truth and Reconciliation recommendations. In year one, students take part in either an experiential based blanket exercise or a circle in the box workshop that is similar to the blanket exercise, so that is year one. In year two, our students learn on the land with elders to gain traditional knowledge skills that support cultural competency and cultural safety practices. In year three, the Bachelor of Nurses program offers the elective course; it is an elective though: Indigenous People of the Northwest Territories, and the course is 45 hours. In year four, the program works with an array of Indigenous knowledge keepers and elders who share traditional knowledge in various classes, and then right throughout the years, the students engage in their practicums, working with elders in the hospitals and care facilities. Right throughout, from the first until the fourth year, our nursing students are actually engaged in it. They are a model that we need to look at.
Having attended residential school myself here, I am glad to hear those replies from the Minister. My third question: what are the some of the learning activities that demonstrate Aurora College's Bachelor of Science in Nursing integration of TRC recommendations?
Like I had said earlier, our nursing program is actually a fine example of what we should be doing and how we can actually improve our college. Although I have to say that Aurora College is viewed by its partners as a leader in integrating our cultural competency and safety through the recommendations of the program, that may speak to the amount of speakers that we still have in the Northwest Territories and our vibrant culture that we still have, recognizing that we are losing it quickly. It is something that we need to expand on and that we need to work on, but at least we have something to build from. There are a lot of jurisdictions that are not where we are, and so I think we are a model across the country, and I hope that we can make that best practices across the country. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, I was asking questions for the Minister responsible for WSCC, and I would like to follow up on some questions with him here today. Can the Minister responsible for WSCC explain why occupational health and safety is under the board's responsibility and not another department? What is the rationale for this alignment? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister responsible for Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. All of our departments, as a government, as I mentioned in my response to the Member's questions yesterday, we do have a focus on promoting health and safety as well as providing care and treatment for anybody who is injured that we do work for. We also have a governance council that is made up of members from both the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
I just want to inform the Member of a little bit of history. Back in 1993, the safety unit was transferred from GNWT to the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission. They have been doing some great work. The staff has been working very well with our counterparts in Nunavut to make sure, as I mentioned, our mandate is to promote health and safety and provide the care and treatment for our employees and the people that we do work with. I think the rationale is that we are sticking with our mandate. All departments do have that best interest of the employee in mind, and we will continue to have WSCC and the governance council work in this area. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I agree, and I think that the government does a great job with the occupational health and safety, and so does WSCC. Can the Minister explain if this is the common practice, to have the occupational health and safety division located within this type of organization in other jurisdictions?
I want to thank the Member for his comments and comments towards the government and WSCC and the work and services that they do provide. In reality, Mr. Speaker, there is a mixture right across Canada. Some governments, departments, agencies, some of them are stand-alone with funding through their workers' compensation boards, and then there are some that are similar to structures as we provide here in the Northwest Territories. There is a mixture right across Canada, and I believe what we are doing here in the Northwest Territories, working with Nunavut, is a good model.
Yesterday, I talked about the rates and that that the organizations and the companies have to pay and the government does. Can the Minister advise: are these rates to help pay for occupational health training courses, or is it just to deal with the administration of injured workers?
Currently, WSCC is funded through payroll assessments and investment revenues. Program development, codes of practice, educational resources, and tools are funded from the fund. The only two things that are fully funded from WSCC are first aid and WHMIS I don't want to speak on behalf of all employees, but I think, as an employer, we do provide the adequate care, treatment, services, and programs for all our employees and partners that we work with.
Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I'd like to thank the Minister for his answers for the first few questions. My last question: can the Minister advise us, have they done an evaluation of WSCC recently, or when is the last time it has been done?
In terms of evaluation, I'm not sure where the Member is specifically wanting to ask about what type of evaluations that we have done. In terms of the Auditor General of Canada, the last time that they did audit the WSCC was back in 2006 at the request of our Legislature, the NWT Legislative Assembly. However it was with the concurrence of the Nunavut Legislative Assembly. That was back in 2006. I can let the Member know that, since then, we have been going through annual audits. This is something that we need to be on top of and evaluate and make sure that the program services and the dollars that we are spending and the dollars and the revenue that we are getting is actually going to the appropriate care and treatment of GNWT employees. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of the Justice, who is the regulator for oil and gas legislation in the Northwest Territories, at least in those areas where we have jurisdiction. Can the Minister tell us why the federal National Energy Board is the regulator of onshore and offshore oil and gas development in the Inuvialuit region? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Minister of Justice.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The National Energy Board was preserved as the regulator of oil and gas operations in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region through the devolution negotiations at the request of Canada and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation. I understand also that Canada and the Inuvialuit had an interest in maintaining the existing relationship and that Canada in particular felt it was important to maintain as much consistency in the regulation of offshore resources with adjacent onshore resources as possible. That arrangement may have made some sense as an interim measure. OROGO, in my view, as since proven itself as an excellent regulator.
I want to thank the Minister for promoting OROGO, and, at his suggestion, I have gone over and met with his staff, and I do agree that they're doing a good job. In the event, though, that there are interests in or development of petroleum resources that straddle areas where the National Energy Board and OROGO have jurisdiction, can the Minister explain how this would be managed?
I may have to look further into that issue, of these straddle types of arrangements, so perhaps I can handle the question best by saying that I will get back to the Member opposite.
I want to thank the Minister for that commitment. I recognize that Cabinet views OROGO as a bit of a hot potato. It appears to me that OROGO's doing a good job. I mentioned that earlier, even though there are limited oil and gas activities, they're doing some work on old wells, which is good. I'd like to ask the Minister whether our government has given any thought to asking the federal government to end the reign of the National Energy Board over the onshore areas of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region and, if not, why not?
I thank the Member opposite for his kind words about OROGO. It is an established regulator now, and I believe that, at this stage, with this proven track record, both Canada and the Inuvialuit might be receptive to having a conversation around the benefits of replacing the NEB as regulator for in the ISR area. Increasingly, this government over the years is becoming master in our own home, if I may use the French phrase, "maitres chez nous."
Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. We started a conversation here on the floor of the House, so I'm hoping that he could meet or pick up the phone and talk to some of our friends about this issue. In considering whether the National Energy Board should continue as a regulator of oil and gas activities in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, there of course would need to be consultations with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation. Can the Minister tell us, the public, whether he's had any of those discussions so far and, if not, why not? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
No formal request to have that conversation has been made, but it is something that I think we should be looking into. After all, we are maturing as a jurisdiction. The Member opposite mentioned the excellent work that OROGO is doing, so, yes, we should have that conversation. It is time, in my view, to re-examine this situation. Thank you.
Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. As I noted in my statement, the science of early childhood development points out a number of tips and best practices, so let's see how these are being followed in our new junior kindergarten programming. First, the science says, "Children learn by copying, so they hear the Indigenous languages." How has JK ensured that Indigenous language teachers and teachers' aides, speak the words children must hear in order to learn? Mahsi.
Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Early integration or early exposure for children to learn Indigenous language is not a new thing. We do provide funding effective 2018, this year, actually, for junior kindergarten, so they are included in the funding that is given to schools for Indigenous learning, Indigenous teaching. Even before that, I remember operating a daycare and, for many years, actually, looking to bring elders into daycare centres. It's always been promoted to actually utilize people that are from the land, from the speakers, into early childcare programming, remembering that JK is play-based. It is not curriculum based. It's not the same as K to 12. It is a play-based experience. Bringing in elders and using the programming, introducing the children to the language is utilized, but it is a different structure.
Thank you to the Minister for that response. My next question is about materials. We know that children like to hear stories and songs, and I wondered what work was underway or is planned for expanding the library of Indigenous language materials for JK?
We do have some resources already that we use within our schools. We are always redoing our resources. The same resources that we would use for kindergarten with our Indigenous languages will be used for junior kindergarten. A lot of that is actually having elders come in and speak with them and play with them, so the development of resources isn't always having a book. That is more of a western culture. Within an Indigenous culture, it's more storytelling, having elders coming in and speaking to the children and showing them concrete examples, so we try to incorporate both western culture and Indigenous culture into the practice.
The last time we reviewed the funding for JK, there was a $300,000 shortfall in the area of Aboriginal languages operations and maintenance for things like the resources and language assistance. Are these two areas now fully funded?
I do know that we've received money from the federal government to address Indigenous languages. I can't say if they are fully. I will have to get back to the Member and let her know where we are with that.
Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Last of all, our JK programming course is fairly new, and I'm wondering how the department is monitoring and evaluating the Indigenous language learning elements of the JK programming and how they are implementing the results of this evaluation. Mahsi.
Again, like I had said -- sorry, we just knocked over a basket -- the Indigenous language programming is offered not only to JK; it's also to all students, so the JK students are actually able to take part in the programming that's already being offered to the kindergarten students. I do want to point out that we have two communities, Fort Providence is one of them, and Behchoko, actually, that have more of an Indigenous immersion. Within Behchoko, it's JK, junior kindergarten, to grade two, full immersion, and then Fort Providence is junior kindergarten to grade three. I think those are fine examples, and I think that we need to promote that more within the territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister responsible for the Status of Women. Last week the Minister confirmed that there won't be any Wise Women Awards this year on International Women's Day. She said the awards may take place in October. Can she confirm that having the awards in October depends on the success of the Status of Women Council's fundraising efforts? Thank you.
Minister responsible for the Status of Women.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, recognizing that the Status of Women is not under my direction, I cannot. I've been told by the standing committee to be hands-off, so I'm respecting that direction. My understanding from the Status of Women, though, is that they are looking at doing it differently. Like I said last week, or the other day, and I agree with that, community people are very focused on community events. When we do the event, it has traditionally been in Yellowknife. We bring one person, a wise woman, from the communities, and an escort, but they don't get to be around their family and their friends. So the Status of Women, not myself, the Status of Women is looking at a new model where we actually provide the funding to communities so that they can provide those awards within their communities, so that it can become a community event versus a Yellowknife event. That is my understanding. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
My follow-up question is: who is going to pay for the new style of recognizing women?
Again, as I stated the other day in answering that question, the Status of Women Council has been successful in accessing -- one of the mines has given them, I believe, either $8,000 or $9,000, and then they are also eligible for at least $5,000 through the Women's Initiative. That, in total, if I look at the lower of $8,000, that's actually a total of $13,000. If we were to honour four women, that would be probably about $3,000 per community. Traditionally, throughout my years of being a Minister here and going to events, usually it's about $500 that we give for a community feast, which leaves an extra $2,500 for the community to use as they want. The extra $1,000, because if we did four, four times three is $12,000, the extra $1,000 should be able to pay for the awards, the trophies that we give out, and any administration. So I do see it as doable. I think it would be cheaper, and I think it would be more effective and more within the spirit of the community to do it as they are looking at it.
