Thank you. I'm going to the Member from Yellowknife North. Final supplementary.
That's okay, Mr. Speaker, I'm finished. Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from the Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My follow-up question on my questions earlier is to the Minister of MACA. And before I ask this question, I want to emphasize the crisis that we're experiencing here. I continuously get texts here. The text reads: $1,500 for 280 liters, one-quarter of a tank, for my fuel at the house tank. And it's not even the dead of winter yet. That's just one of many that I'm receiving. My question to the Minister is the Minister of MACA willing to invite mayor Frank Pope and proceed on setting up a meeting with the federal counterpart to address the situation in person; would the Minister commit to that? Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister of MACA.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would be more than happy to have that conversation with the Member to see what we can do. However, I think it's well aware with the Member, also my Cabinet counterparts, the work that's been going on. We've had a lot of federal engagement with the federal Ministers in regards to the situation in the Sahtu. I've received messages every day from the Member in regards to what's going on in the Sahtu. We are actioning it. I know my department's on it just about it every day at the capacity that we have. So I'm more than willing to discuss this with the Member and we could find solutions; however, I don't know what the face-to-face meeting with the federal government's going to do when we've already been there. I know the Member was in Ottawa also discussing with federal counterparts so it's not that they haven't heard us; they've heard us. It's how we're going to address this issue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thanks to the Minister that is willing to look at this situation. Considering the fraction of the cost going for both leaders to Ottawa is critical to what is actually happening on the ground level back in Norman Wells, so I certainly welcome the opportunity to discuss details but that's my position on encouraging the Minister to make a commitment with the company of mayor Pope, proceed to Ottawa. Some things are just best said in person and keeping in mind that you got to also educate the bureaucracy of both levels of government to emphasize the urgent need for relief, that cost is happening now as we speak. So I look forward, and I welcome the opportunity to discuss with the Minister on the details of scheduling. Mahsi.
Thank you. Next on my list is the Member from Great Slave.
Frame Lake.
Okay, then, I'm going to go to the Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It must be the air conditioning in here, Mr. Speaker, or the sound of the air moving. It's hard to hear some days or sometimes today. Mr. Speaker, I was going to leave on a positive note but I'll make a list the good but not bad. The next question will be back to the Minister of education regarding supports for students. It's not terrible, but I'd like to hear what the Minister says -- the issue's terrible but not the questions per se.
We were recently at a meeting with both school boards. And I know this applies to all school boards. This is not news to me, I know it's not news to the regions, whether you're in the Delta or you're in the Sahtu. Students are entering the education system unassessed, whether it's their physio, their hearing, or their speech. And, of course, this burden then becomes a problem for the schools which is the teachers, etcetera, support staff, and certainly the financing. So I'm going to ask the Minister what is she able to do in her capacity as the Minister, and potentially working with the department of health, to turn around these non-assessments anymore? Because I'm old enough to remember I went through them as a young person. Other kids went through them as they were going through but they're no longer happening and hence these problems are being forced or dumped on to the school systems to address. So I'm asking her how does she see we could help support the school systems? Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister of ECE.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was in the same meeting as the Member and heard the concerns from the school board, and what I can commit to is certainly working with my colleague from health and social services. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I actually couldn't hear her answer but I'm assuming maybe we could look at this again, is that what can she do as Minister to financially support the school system if the Department of Health and Social Services is no longer doing this. We have dental services -- we found ways to do things. In other words, like, for example, Inuvik does dental supports when it can. I don't even know if they've done it recently. But I've seen seen the room that they've done that to support families on the health care and the young people. So what can the Minister do to ensure that, for example, speech, physio, and health care -- health assessments for young people coming into the school systems are done, or can they facilitate them in the schools to ensure that students have the best opportunity and the teachers are well resourced to manage these challenges? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, like I said I can certainly work with the Minister of health and social services. These are very important things that we're talking about. Access to therapeutic services is critical for access to education. But, you know, I'm not going to stand here and take over the mandate of health and social services because it's not fair to our education bodies, it's not fair to our teachers. They're not clinicians, and they are not able to take this on, neither are the education bodies. So I'm very keen to work with health and social services on this one, but I'm not keen to also expect teachers or the education bodies to start administering clinical requirements. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I heard that response loud and clear and I also had the earpiece. That's said, what has been done to date? Because I was speaking to the school boards and their concerns about how much resources they're dedicating to address these particular needs in these students. So what's being done to date and how long has this been going on? The Minister has been Minister for a year, so she must be aware of how we're trying to address the current problem. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the current situation is absolutely there are a number of vacancies, which we've heard from the Minister of health about, in the realm of therapeutic services. I've certainly let my concerns be known. I have met with multiple officials from the Department of Health and Social Services, along with education, culture and employment, with both Ministers present, to share concerns about this one and figure out kind of what are the next steps here. As far as the education, culture and employment department is concerned, what has been done there is really addressing training desires from classroom assistants and education assistants. So one of the things that was brought forward through education bodies was a desire to have more training for classroom assistants. So this past year, we have had our first graduation -- or graduating class from the -- through a partnership with Douglas College, and we have graduated 24, as a start, classroom assistants. And they were able to do their training virtually online, so there was no disruption to the community and the supports available in small communities to students. And then they were able to also take what they were learning through their courses and apply them right away in the classroom. And so that to me is a good news story of one of the things that education, culture and employment is doing. Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Yellowknife Centre. Final supplementary.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as an example of this burden falling on the school system, which is actually taking money out of the education process that it was intended for, these school boards, particularly in Yellowknife -- and I wish I could speak to the regional communities as well -- but that said they ended up hiring their own speech pathologists, and they were finding they could find them. In other words, they put out advertisements. They were getting people interested in the jobs. They've hired them. And they're funding them within. That really is education dollars for the old ABCs, 123s, but yet they're spending so much energy, time that's inefficient for what they're intended to do. What can the Minister do to support this gap that these school boards are now carrying that is a health problem, as she said earlier in the previous answer to one of my questions? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at the same time that I'm meeting with the Minister of health and social services, I'm also doing research on what are other options and what are other jurisdictions doing. That is work that I am doing as a Minister because I recognize that there is a gap here. There absolutely -- I want to say there absolutely is a gap here. I think it's important that we acknowledge that.
Some of this gap is being funded through programs like Jordan's Principle. We currently have a tremendous amount of money coming from Jordan's Principle into the territory into our education system. In addition to that, I'm looking at ways to support education bodies but not by deciding on my own what they need, by actually ensuring that our officials are having conversations about, what about this, what about that, and exploring different ideas about what might work. I don't have unlimited dollars to make something work, but I do acknowledge that this is a gap and one that needs to be addressed. Thank you.
Thank you. I have Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to join in the line of questioning that several of my colleagues have brought today around Aurora College. Aurora College says that 83 percent of its milestones have been achieved. The news reporting that the honourable Member from Frame Lake mentioned, if you actually read the reporting, there's some shocking details in there. The former research chair is quoted as saying there wasn't a plan, there wasn't an idea of how we could get the chairs up and running. This was only a year ago. So the Minister is not responsible for Aurora College, but she's answerable to Aurora College on an operational level. When she sees the college reporting that it's got so much done, you know, nearly mission accomplished, we're paused until we can figure out, you know, some new mandates but the staff they're hiring are quitting and saying nothing's set up, not even an office chair for this individual to sit down on, what is she doing to help the college succeed? Saying that it's not my responsibility, it's theirs, and I'm going to work with them, we need more than answerability, we need accountability, and quite frankly in the 18th Assembly that's exactly what we did. That's where this whole process started. We pulled the reins back. We built a transition plan. Is it time to take the reins away from Aurora College, put them back in the hands of the Minister, and get this done right this time? Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister of ECE.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I really want to see this transformation succeed because this transformation is not just about bricks and mortar. This transformation is about ensuring that we have a quality post-secondary institution providing education that leads to jobs that we need homegrown people to be able to take advantage of, that we need to be able to attract to our knowledge economy, to be able to do research. I believe in this transformation wholeheartedly, and I want to see it happen. I'm prepared to work within my authority to see that happen but acknowledge that this is a relationship that needs to be fostered, supported, and that needs to be able to given the time to grow. I am like the Member, I want to see change right away, but acknowledge that change like this does take time. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, they've been given time. They've been given years to get this done, and they're still struggling. So clearly something isn't working. How much more time is the Minister going to give Aurora College to fail? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, they have had about a year and a half as a new board. They now have a new president that they are working with as well. In the last year and a half that the board has been around, they've also now, in November of last year, gotten one of -- it's a trimerical governance system. So one of the additional boards was put in place in November of 2023, and then the Indigenous knowledge-keepers board was put in place in April of this year. And so they are putting all of these pieces together to ensure that they have a functioning trimerical board system and are doing their best not only to make hard decisions about what the future of Aurora College looks like but also go through the transformation process. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, if we can't attract people to help lead the transition from within the institution, then it's not going to work. When we see news stories like this, it sends a signal to the rest of Canada that we are not -- that this institution isn't working and isn't interested in change. So how is the Minister going to change that reputation? How is she going to help the board market their institution as one that's serious about change? That's why we're having this conversation today, because people don't believe they're serious so how is she going to help them do that? Thank you.
I'm going to be a hundred percent candid with you, Mr. Speaker, just like I was with the board. I'm going to tell them those exact words like I did less than a month ago. When I sat with the board and they told me what their priorities were, they turned to me and said, what are we missing? And I said, you guys are missing buzz. You guys are missing telling the story about the work that you are doing. So you need to generate that buzz by sharing your excitement and sharing your hard work with the people of the Northwest Territories. And that is the responsibility of the board. I will continue to encourage them to do that. And in the meantime, I will encourage them to do the hard work that we expect them to do. Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Range Lake. Final supplementary.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister consider putting some accountability measures behind the dollars that we're giving to Aurora College? Change the funding program so they are tied to outcomes and if those outcomes aren't met, they don't get their funding and they have to seek performance elsewhere. That way we can ensure that they're performing. Because if they fail in the outcomes that the government designs that the Minister is accountable for, then they don't get funded. And they're not going to exist very long if they can't get funded. So will the Minister do that; will she put firm outcomes attached to the funding so this transition will succeed, or the institution will have to change dramatically? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this past summer the accountability framework was put in place for Aurora College. This framework is relevant for all post-secondary institutions in the Northwest Territories. It outlines reporting required by ECE each year and helps to identify the financial stability of institutions and if programs are operating effectively. So I look forward to using that framework in years to come. Thank you.
Thank you. Members, the time allotted for the oral questions has ended. We'll continue on.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents: 2025-2026 Capital estimates and Public accounts of the Government of the Northwest Territories Section II Interim Non-Consolidated Financial Statements for the Year ended March 31, 2024. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister of ITI. Tabling of documents.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table Prosper NWT's Annual Report, 2023-2024. Thank you.
Thank you. Go to the Minister of MACA. Tabling of documents.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document: Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 186-20(1), Addressing Erosion in Aklavik. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I now call the Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Member for the Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I rise today in order to report progress. Mahsi.
There's a motion on the floor to report progress. The motion is in order and non-debatable. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.
---Carried
I will now rise and report progress.
Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Tabled Document 193-20(1), and I would like to report progress. And, Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with.
Thank you. Thank you, Members. Do I have a seconder for the report of the Committee of the Whole? Member for Sahtu. The motion is in order and non-debatable. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? The motion has been carried, and the report of the Committee of the Whole has been concurred with.
--- Carried
