Debates of March 10, 2009 (day 26)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was listening very attentively to the questions raised by the Member for Weledeh. I certainly support the issue of trying to support our daycares in any way possible. The fact is the support that they need is certainly a very worthy effort that they do taking care of our youth as well as providing education. Mr. Speaker, when I was listening to this, it kind of made me think of the argument municipalities used or often the argument that the territorial government uses which is when they go to Ottawa and they talk about base plus. I am just wondering in the context of providing stable funding that it is really important to help keep the lights on and the staff paid, has the Department of Education, Culture and Employment ever put a lot of work into developing a new formula based on base-plus funding for these types of agencies. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The funding we do provide, the contribution agreements to the daycare centres are to cover the operation and maintenance costs and also the rental costs and the mortgage. Those are the expenses that we cover for ongoing daycare operations here in the Northwest Territories. We do continue to provide the funding and whether it be the capital or base plus, that is the area of discussion that we can certainly have.

As I stated earlier, wherever we can improve our program, we are always keeping our options open. We are always improving our programs. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I’m very pleased with that answer from the Minister that they’re always looking for ways to improve their programming. I’m sure the Minister in some way will agree, in his own ministerial way, that is, that disruption in funding causes real problems. I’m sure in his own way, through Cabinet approval, he’d like to find new ways to ensure that financial disruption doesn’t become a reality. The fact is, it is the reality that if a couple kids start missing for one reason or another, if they’re out on the land with their parents or they’re sick at home here in Yellowknife, those types of things, that creates financial disruption to that agency for trying to provide services. When the Minister says they’re open to new ways, how serious is this Minister interested in taking a look at this base-plus formula and perhaps taking it to the Standing Committee on Social Programs and saying let’s fund them a new way, let’s create a stable market for these agencies so we can provide good education programs for our kids?

This Minister is very serious on this particular matter. It’s not only us that deals with the programming dollars. We deal with the federal government. We deal with our own internal FMB as well. They’re doing cost analysis. We continue to work with that. As I stated earlier, we continue to improve our programming dollars. This is one area we are seriously looking at on how we can continually provide important services without any disruption. We will continue to have the dialogue.

Those are excellent answers from the Minister because I can really hear his desire to make sure that they’re successful. Is there any philosophy based in the funding principles of these agencies that some of this money will be lost or lapsed, or is the program designed from the philosophy to make sure that they get as much money as possible that we put on the books for them?

Our goal is definitely to look out for the children at hand. We want them to succeed at life. Certainly throughout the North that’s our goal, the primary goal; to look after those children and their well-being and so forth. Certainly this area that the Member is alluding to, we continue to have the discussion on again improving our program. On a going-forward basis, those are the discussions we will be having during the business planning process and having dialogue with the federal government and FMB on improving our programs.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I certainly hear the willingness of the Minister who wants to take charge of this issue and certainly solve some of the technical problems, which are stabilized funding. When can this side of the House, be it Social Programs or all Regular Members, see some work done on this issue that I’ve described as stabilizing the funding, perhaps through the method of a base-plus funding formula that would ensure that if an occasional student misses once in a while, it doesn’t fully disrupt the funding of that agency and put them into a tailspin of havoc and unable to pay their staff and certainly keep their lights on? When can we expect some type of paperwork and some decision and leadership through the department? I know the Minister wants to do that. I’m just curious from this point of view.

The Member can look at it as a technical problem, but I see some challenges there. Through challenges it creates opportunities to work with. Certainly we will be presenting to standing committee once we work out the logistics within our Department of ECE, because there is federal funding as well. We need to work with FMB as well. Once that has been developed, I am more than willing to commit to the standing committee to present to them.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.