Thank you, Honourable Premier. If we have missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the Chamber. I hope you are enjoying the proceedings. It is always nice to have members in the audience. Thank you. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Question 1-19(2):
Aurora College Change in Leadership
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Premier since it was she who released the announcement yesterday that the president of Aurora College is no longer. As the Premier is well aware from her history as the Minister, Aurora College has been through frequent leadership changes in the last three years. Now, the president the government chose just a year ago has been shown the door. My question is: why? Mahsi.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do want to take a moment to recognize Dr. Weegar for the service he provided to the Northwest Territories. It was great to have him on board. I am not going to stand here and talk about personnel issues. I think that is inappropriate in the House. What I can say, though, is that we are on track, that we are doing the best that we can to make sure that our polytechnic goes forward and becomes an accredited polytechnic university. Sometimes, you make leadership changes that we do not have notice of. To jump to say that we are showing the door might not be the terms that I would use. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you to the Premier for that response. I believe that the public is owed an explanation of why this man is no longer working for the government after the extensive efforts that were made to recruit him to this job in the first place, so I invite the Premier to consider a more fulsome response.
My second question is about the new college president who has been appointed from within the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. Other than his long-standing employment with the government, what are his qualifications for this job?
Mr. Bevan has a long history of being suitable for this position. He has done the leadership skills. He is in the position currently. He was responsible for leading the development and the implementation of our Skills 4 Success initiative. He has done practical linking of training and job opportunities, a key part of the vision for the polytech, and he actually took part in some of the polytechnic review. So, yes, he is very qualified for the position and, again, this is more of an HR issue, so I'll stop at that.
I thank the Premier for that response. It's a surprise to me, given his qualifications as the Premier enunciated them, that he wasn't appointed in the first place. Can the Premier tell us whether this appointment is temporary while a more thorough search takes place for somebody with direct post-secondary leadership qualifications?
I don't know, actually, why he never applied. I do know that, when Dr. Weegar was hired, we did go out and -- the terminology is called "head hunter"; I'm not sure what the proper terminology is. So we sought someone from outside. I don't know if Mr. Bevan actually applied in that process. This is the first I knew about it.
This position is going to be staying. We have made a commitment that, within the next six years, the Aurora College, the polytechnic university, will be independent. At that point, we will be putting it out to competition for a president. Over this next year, though, we are trying to ascertain if this position actually needs to be one position or two positions. At this point, it's the start of a new government. We are looking at that. We are deciding if this is actually the best strategy that we're using going forward, and within the next six months to a year we will have made a decision on whether we'll be splitting those positions or remaining as one.
Thank you, Honourable Premier. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the response from the Premier. It anticipates my next question. There have been reports that have documented the issues of ECE's interference with the college, and I wonder, now that there is a former ADM of ECE as president, how those two functions are going to be kept separate. Thank you.
There is a clear separation. As the associate deputy minister for post-secondary education, he reports to the Minister of Education directly. I am in charge of his performance, of course; and, as the president, he actually reports to the board of governors. There is also an administrator there and, of course, we have vice-presidents there to assist him within that position.
The other thing I should point out, and that was just spoken in the last sitting, is that the current Minister of Education has just appointed his Academic Advisory Council, which is advisory people from across the nation who specialize in polytechnic university. So his position will be over-supported within that framework that we have going. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Honourable Premier. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha.
Question 2-19(2):
Appointments to Northwest Territories Power Corporation Board
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for Minister Thompson, who is responsible for the NWT Power Corporation. On February 4, 2020, notice was given to all Members of the Legislative Assembly regarding recently reappointed members of the NWT Power Corporation Board. Mr. Speaker, why are we still reappointing deputy ministers to run a Crown corporation, rather than appointing members from the private sector or appointing members to the board who are from different regions from across the NWT?
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During the last government, the Cabinet made a decision, to save money, that we reduce the board and use our deputy ministers, but they're not deputy ministers on this board. However, when I became Minister, the first thing I talked to the president and the chairperson about was to tell us how this cost-saving matter was brought forward and can we do a governance review, because we need to look at this. It's important to have people from the Northwest Territories, so we're looking at various options right now as we move forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The decision to go with the status quo from the 18th Assembly is unacceptable, considering the importance of public input on behalf of the Members of this 19th Assembly. My question is: are the deputy ministers once again going to be dictating the direction of this Crown corporation? When will an arm's length, neutral approach to a Crown corporation take place?
What happened was we had a board, we needed to appoint a number of people so the board could continue, so we did that. In the meantime, deputy ministers, we're using their skill set to run it. They are actually not deputy ministers sitting on the board. They are actually regular people in there working together with the government, with the Power Corporation. The biggest challenge is that we need to look at making a right decision and how we can improve it. Right now, we have to get the board up and running, so we appointed deputy ministers in that role.
As elected officials of this Assembly, we all came here to represent the interests of the people of the NWT, but are we really doing so if we continue to appoint deputy ministers to all of our boards again, as opposed to members of the general public representing all regions of the NWT?
I can't talk about other boards, and that. I can only talk about the NWT Power Corporation. I do not necessarily agree that having dedicated, knowledgeable public servants sitting on the board is the right way. I agree that it's not the best solution right now. However, we need to make sure we look at it and see how we can do the governance, develop the model, so we can improve the system. We're utilizing those six people to be the board right now.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Thebacha.
Mr. Speaker, it is extremely crucial that all boards, including the NWT Power Corporation, are reflective of the interests of the people of the Northwest Territories. Therefore, when will the NWT Power Corporation board be reinstated with members at large, and not just filled by deputy ministers?
This is exactly some of the things we're looking at. We are willing to work with committee. We're trying to understand how we can best serve the people of the Northwest Territories. Right now, I've asked the chair and the board to come up with a governance model to give us some options, and we're willing to work with committee on this as we move forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Question 3-19(2):
Legal Aid Services
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Justice. We are going back to my Member's statement. Can the Minister tell me: have the two vacancies at the Legal Aid Commission been filled, and, if not, where is the department currently in filling these positions? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister of Justice.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are currently still two open positions in the family law side of Legal Aid. They are not actively filled at the moment, but recruitment at the Legal Aid clinic is essentially a near-constant process, and I will certainly let the Member know as soon as the positions are filled. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Can the Minister tell me: how will the department ensure that the region's needs are met now that these services have been centralized back to Yellowknife and we have vacancies?
When the Legal Aid clinic and the resident lawyer from Inuvik was moved to Yellowknife, that was in part a reflection of overall budget cuts at the time and a recognition that the Legal Aid clinic there was actually being underutilized in comparison to the staff lawyers that were positioned in Yellowknife. In moving that position, it actually increased access to family law services for the residents of the Northwest Territories.
That said, Inuvik does have a court registry, it does have a court worker, and there are ways to improve access to justice using those other services.
Can the Department of Justice let me know how they categorize urgent and non-urgent cases when assigning Legal Aid?
I hesitate to use the word "urgent." I heard the Member's statement earlier that, when someone is undergoing a situation that requires legal support or legal assistance, it will inevitably feel urgent to that individual, no matter how a government might choose to prioritize it. I want to be sensitive. I recognize what the Member is saying.
Legal Aid does prioritize child protection matters, so if there is an apprehension, for example; matters where there is domestic violence, situations where an individual needs to leave the relationship urgently; and also matters where matters are already in court. If one party has filed the matters and brought it to court, then the responding party, if they require legal services through Legal Aid, will be prioritized.
Other matters that are categorized as not being, therefore, within those realms do end up on the wait list for family law matters. That said, as I mentioned in my last response, there are other ways, at times, to access some supports through the outreach clinic, through court workers, and by filing one's papers at the court registry.
Perhaps it is an opportunity to look at whether or not some of those services can be provided to the Members, and that might help improve access to justice in their region.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for her answer. Can the Minister provide me or the Members with any information packages that we can keep in our offices for when clients do come to us? When we go to the websites, sometimes it is not as clear. If we have easy-to-read stuff, whatever issue that they are dealing with, we would be able to provide them with assistance.
I would absolutely ensure that we provide that to all of the Members of this House and to provide that, both in terms of the documentation that I know is out there, but also information on how to access it, and perhaps ensure that it gets to everyone's constituency assistants, as well. I thank the Member for that suggestion.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
Question 4-19(2):
Aurora College President
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Firstly, I do not think it is the role of this House to discuss personnel matters, but when the personnel is the president of a college, a role that is necessarily required to be arm's length and independent from political interference, I believe that is a different question.
My question is to the Minister of ECE. When will Aurora College or the university it is to become get a president who is arm's length from the department? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There was a foundational review of Aurora College in the last Assembly. There was a government response to that foundational review, to the recommendations of it. That foundational review stated that we should just get rid of the president altogether and have a bureaucratic head of the college. What we have chosen to do is keep the president and have the associate deputy minister position so that there is a bit more continuity.
Right now, we believe that this is essential to ensure that both the college and the transformation team are working towards the same goal. If we have two completely distinct bodies with separate authorities, we could run into some conflicts, and it could slow the entire process down. The plan is that, until we are at a position where we have a board of governors with revised responsibilities, where, perhaps, we have an academic senate, we are going to maintain the situation we have right now.
At a point in the future, when we are ready to have a completely arm's-length institution, we will proceed as such with the board of governors, with the senate, and then a president. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I find the Minister's answers assuring that he understands the importance of academic freedom. Universities Canada's academic freedom in regards to leadership emphasizes that university presidents must ensure that funding does not interfere with autonomy in deciding what is studied and how.
It is clear, in its current state, that Aurora College is not meeting this definition of academic freedom. Can the Minister provide me with an answer to what is being ensured so that Aurora College's, and the soon-to-be-university's, academic freedom will be preserved into the future?
The Member is referring to the academic freedom that universities have. Of course, Aurora College is not yet a university. It doesn't participate in the type of research that necessitates that type of academic freedom, necessarily, but I can assure the Member that the foundational review recommended developing an arm's-length body. The government response agreed that we need to develop an arm's-length body, and I personally can assure the Member that I am not going to preside over the creation of something similar to what we had. I am not going to repeat the mistakes of the past. When we are done with this project, we are going to have a fully arm's-length university that is not subject to interference from the department.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.
Question 5-19(2):
Language Teachers
Masi, Mr. Speaker. The teachers recognized today all have a unique skill set: their language. Their skills cannot be imported from the South. Many of these teachers will be retiring in the near future, and unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer fluent speakers to take their spots.
Mr. Speaker, the first question is to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. How does the department plan to support schools in language programming as these teachers retire? Masi.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the Member for bringing this to the House's attention and thank all of the teachers that the Member mentioned. If you look at the list, most of those names have over 20 years of experience; some have 30; some have 40. They are nearing retirement, and ECE and the education bodies are very concerned about the fact that there are not enough fluent speakers to replace these teachers. The department can't address this issue alone, and it is undertaking a concerted effort to begin working with Indigenous governments to address the issue.
In 2018, the NWT Indigenous Languages Framework and Action Plan was implemented, and as part of that, there are a number of initiatives that we are undertaking. It's really the blueprint for going forward. ECE is committed to developing Indigenous language capacity through partnerships with regional governments as well as the communities and post-secondary educations, and, since September 2018, ECE has provided two territory-wide teacher in-services to over 80 Indigenous language teachers, and the department is committed to continuing this training.
Mr. Speaker, what measures has the department taken to build capacity to develop fluent speakers who can become language teachers?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department, in recent years especially, has really been doing quite a bit in this area. Since 2018-2019, ECE has partnered with the University of Alberta's Canadian Indigenous Languages and Literacy Development Institute to deliver Indigenous language programs to community members. Approximately 130 participants have been involved in the NWT-sponsored program. Since 2018, ECE has awarded 29 Indigenous language revitalization scholarships, each worth $5,000, to support NWT students registered in an accredited post-secondary program with a focus on language revitalization. ECE has also partnered with Aurora College and the University of Victoria to deliver the certificate in Indigenous language revitalization to employ individuals interested in Indigenous language revitalization. Fourteen students will complete the program by March 2020. In 2020, ECE hosted a workshop for nearly 20 Indigenous language instructors, training them on the Our Languages curriculum, pedagogy, and resources to use in the school system.
Mr. Speaker, it's great that the department has several plans in place. We definitely need to improve in those areas. My third question obviously is: what are the plans? What plans has the department or has it encouraged as careers that require Indigenous languages and to develop fluent speakers to fill those career positions, Mr. Speaker, as language teachers?
Mr. Speaker, the plans are to continue what we've been doing. I just mentioned a number of different programs that the department is involved with. Also, ECE is currently facilitating partnerships between post-secondary institutions and regional Indigenous governments, with the focus on helping communities build Indigenous language capacity to develop programming that strengthens Indigenous languages and encourages development at the community level. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Monfwi.
Masi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my final question is: currently, there are many of our young people who have some knowledge of the language, are either latent speakers; they understand but do not speak or need to develop their language skills even further. We know that an immersion program is the best way to learn a language. Do we currently have an immersion program for young adults or adults to learn a language so they can pursue these careers and fill these positions?
ECE is partnering with three regional Indigenous governments, and we are piloting a program called the NWT Indigenous Languages Mentor Apprenticeship Program, and there are approximately 60 participants in the program right now. Now, this program pairs a fluent Indigenous speaker with an Indigenous language learner through language immersion, and the goal is to have apprentices increase their fluency and confidence in speaking and understanding the languages, with the ultimate goal of becoming fluent enough that they can then become teachers. Lastly, ECE is partnering with post-secondary organizations in order to develop adult language immersion programs here in the Northwest Territories.
Once again, I want to thank the Member for bringing this to light because this is a concern across the territory, and, the Member's region, they have done well, and they have a strong language. That can't necessarily be said for the rest of the territory. We're losing speakers, and right now the department and the division that is tasked with this is passionately working to revitalize those languages. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
