Debates of October 30, 2024 (day 35)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today is for the Minister of ECE. The Sahtu is approaching the winter road reason which is the affordable connections to all five communities. And prior to our February the 5th sitting, I would like to take the opportunity to invite the Minister to support a road show to promote education, education security. I'm wondering if the -- my question to the Minister if she will support a group of beneficiary trades team to do a presentation to the high school students in each of the five communities in the Sahtu? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member knows that trades are near and dear to my heart, and I certainly want to see more trades apprentices and trades students in every region of the territory, and I am certainly willing to work with the Member, and we may have staff in each of those regions that are already there that can already support some of this work if I am unable, of course, to make it to all the Sahtu communities before the February sitting, keeping in mind that we have busy schedules, but I certainly want to support the Member in this. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thanks to the Minister for that support. In consideration of the high fuel costs, would the Minister support the cost of this road show team? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I always like to make sure that we are working smarter, not harder, and that we are saving dollars for where we really need them in the territory, and so if there are staff already located in a community, for example in Norman Wells, we do have a regional superintendent who would be able to do some of this work within the school, and we may even have teachers within the schools that can help support having the conversations about how to access trades and how to get involved in trades within the schools. And so I certainly want to explore this with the Member and see how we can do this together and ensure that we are being fiscally responsible at the end of the day when we're doing that too. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thanks for the Minister for that support. I am anticipating we're looking at a group of six. Will the Minister work with my office to help coordinate the logistics and planning of this road show promoting education for trades? Will the Minister commit to seeking employer time off for the employee trades to participate in this? For example, this government has beneficiaries in the Sahtu that would fit this agenda. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I certainly don't have control over the operations of departments, and I know that the Member started this conversation by referencing the Sahtu winter road, and I think it's worth stating that the Sahtu winter road really is a good news story at the end of the day. It is maintained by contractors that are local Indigenous contractors all the way up the road and, you know, these are private employers, of course. I wouldn't be able to dictate or determine whether or not they would give staff time off. But the good news is that what really we need in the Northwest Territories, when it comes to building trades, apprentices, is employers and those relationships with employers. And so I would love the opportunity to find out if there is space for added apprentices, and especially added SNAP apprentices, within those workplaces of those employers, and I think that would be a great start to building some new trades apprentices in the Sahtu. Thank you.

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.